The Whitebeard Wolfpack
by RedHairedOctavia
Summary: She never thought her life would turn out this way, she had hopes, dreams, just like everybody else. So why was she different? Why was she taken from her home, thrown into a cage, locked away forever. All her hopes were shattered, then she met three boys thrown into the same hell as her. Together they escaped hell only to end up aboard the fiercest ship in the world, the Moby Dick.
1. Chapter 1 - The Beginnings

**Hey guys here's my story of One Piece, set during youngster years :). **

**Let me know what you think and if you would like to see more.**

She never thought her life would get to this point. She sat huddled in the corner of her cage with her face buried into her knees, trying to keep her body from shivering. She wasn't sure if it was out of fear or if she was actually cold. Her once pretty pale green dress; was now barely seen as more than a shred of rags that clung to her dirtied, bloodied body. The once tight metal shackles she was forced to wear around her wrist, now drooped and slid up and down her arms, and hung loosely around her hands. She wondered how long it would be until they would slip right off her hands.

Life was getting worse for Octavia.

He never thought his life would get much better than what he was experiencing right now. He stood at the front of the famous Moby Dick and stared out at the blue ocean that travelled beyond what his eyes could see. He could hear the laughs and cheers of his family as they prepared tonight's celebrations, for what, he wasn't entirely sure; freedom itself was a common celebration they had raised a drink too. As he stared out at the sunset he could feel his internal animal instincts begging for him to spread his wings and sore into the open blue sky and to feel the wind through his flamed feathers.

Life was great for Marco.

He never thought he would live to the age he was now; He always thought that he would be shot and killed for the very blood that ran through his veins. And right now it looked as though that was probably going to happen, and if it wasn't death, he was granted with, it was going to be something worse; slavery. His eyes dropped and he could feel his hands and shoulders ache as the restraints behind his back were getting more uncomfortable. His stomach churned and begged for food; or water, or something to help him get out of the crate he was locked in. Something to help him escape and find his brothers.

Life was never looking good for Ace.

He never thought he would feel like this again, alone, sad, and scared. He sat shivering at the back of the crate he was prisoned in and felt the hot tears run down his face. He tried to stay strong and to listen to the words his brothers had told him, but he was alone again, and no pain in their world could amount to that feeling. He whimpered, feeling the metal cuff that was wrapped tightly around his ankle; digging into his flesh and cutting off all access to his powers. He didn't like it when he felt like this; he didn't want to feel useless. To be a burden to his brothers; to always need saving. But right now he would give anything in the world to see his brothers and for them to tell him that everything would be alright.

Life was terrifying for Luffy.

He never thought his life would take this path; He always thought he would grow up and be able to set sail with his brothers on the open water, to live their lives however they wanted to; they were going to be freer than free. He didn't think they would be captured, separated, and thrown into a wooden box to have who knows what happen to them. He wanted his brothers back and he wanted the future they had dreamed of together. But as every second that passed he felt their dreams slowly slip away.

Life was vanishing for Sabo.

* * *

Her body stilled, with the sound of the main door cringing open. It creaked so loudly that it would always startle her from her state of sleep. This was something that she was thankful for, she never wanted to be caught by surprise; not again. She braced herself for the session of pain she was sure she was going to receive today, or as the men liked to call it a nice and friendly chat. It was always the same no matter how many days had passed. They would come for her, scream at her, ask her questions, and then beat her when she didn't respond.

But, the truth was, she didn't know the answers to the questions in the first place.

But she would never give up without a fight. Those men that dragged her from her cage, would always come out with scratches or bite marks. She never went willingly to her torture. She would never let them have that over her.

But today was different.

There were screams and shouts of others being brought down into the brig. She lifted her head from her chest, but it did nothing to help her vision. From the first moment they realised the extent of her powers, they strapped a piece of metal that wrapped around her face; covering her eyes and locked at the back of her head. The heavy padlock took a while to get used to and it was especially worse when she was trying to sleep. But as the days and nights went on the chunk of metal disappeared from her thoughts.

"Let go of me you bastard!" A loud piercing voice echoed around the room.

"Ace!"

"Don't you touch him!"

"I'm going to kill you all when I get out of here!"

Her head snapped up, with the sound of young boys being dragged through the centre of the cages and towards her. She wasn't too surprised to hear new voices, it was rare, but it had occurred twice now. But this time they were children's voices, children like her.

That had never happened before.

There had never been children like her, here before.

She wondered if they had been in captive as long as what she had; or were they just taken.

She could make out the sounds of slaps and gasps as the boys fought back trying to escape the grasps of the captives. But, she knew from experience that it would take more than a few struggles to ever get a foot outside of his ship, or even outside of this room, without being found. She had made it all the way down two corridors when she had first arrived, but after that she never got far.

The cage to her right rocked as she felt a presence being thrown into the neighbouring cage.

"You bastard! When I get out of here I will kill you!" The voice confirmed her suspicions, he was young as far as she could tell.

"We will rip you to shreds!" Another voice called opposite her. She waited for the sound of the third boy, but she could only make out a few soft cries and pleas. He was the youngest as far as she could tell, younger than her and probably the youngest in the entire brig. He didn't have the fight or the spirit that the other two had.

"Shut up you brats." A familiar voice yelled, and a loud bang echoed through the room and the metal of her cage. She knew the man had thrown something against the metal walls; they did it often just to spook her. They seemed to get some sick sort of enjoyment out of her blindness. When she had first arrived they had made it a game of sneaking up on her and banging at her cage; laughing and sneering at her as she whimpered, and cried out. But she knew better now, she would never give them that satisfaction again.

She was stronger now.

They forced her to be stronger now.

"Luffy, look at me." The boy opposite her spoke loud and firm; she could only assume it was the name of the youngest addition.

"Ace, Sabo." A young helpless voice whispered causing her heart to thump deep in her chest. He was just a little kid, an innocent kid, dragged from his home and probably from his parents. Were they killed like hers were? Or would they be out there looking for them right now…

"We're right here Lu, you're going to be okay." The boy next to her spoke and she could hear him right up against the cage door; his hands banging against the metal hinges forcing the metal door to resist against the lock. She held back the snort that rose to the back of her throat. It was wishful thinking to believe that everything would be okay, they were trapped in a cage with no chance of escape. Everything was far from okay.

"We will get out of here. I promise you," the only boy left called. She assumed this was the one called Ace.

"Hey you," a voice called out in the silence of the dungeons. She felt her body shiver as the brisk air of the night whittled its way down to her bones. Pulling her arms tighter around her body she blew her warm breathe into her chest, trying to brush off the icy chill of the night.

"Hey are you alright?"

"Come on its okay," voices broke the usual silence of the room.

"Is she deaf?"

"The girl hasn't spoken a word since the day I got here." A familiar voice resonated from the other side of the room. She hadn't heard his voice in so long she thought maybe he had been taken away like the others before. Lifting her head towards the old man down the end she wondered why he had announced that so freely. That was when she realised that the questions from the boys, were being directed to her.

"Did they hurt you?" Slowly and unsurely she turned her head to the right, to the voice of her neighbour, but what she heard was him gasp.

"Your- your- you can't see?" His voice stuttered. Her hands slowly moved to the metal binding around her eyes. Shaking her head, she could feel the movements of the boy as he shuffled closer towards her.

"Did they do that to you?" he whispered; "Can you speak?" she nodded.

The silence grew in the cold stagnant room and she let her head fall back down to her chest ending the conversation. She didn't want to speak to the boys, they would only be taken away, just like all the others had before them. Or maybe this time it would be her turn to be taken away and never to be brought back.

She often wondered if that would be the worst thing that could happen to her, especially how she was living now. Could this life be worse or better than the unknown life beyond this ship? The fear of the unknown was too great.

"I'm Sabo. The other two, are my brothers, Ace and Luffy." Sabo spoke from her right but she kept herself hidden. She didn't want to know them. She didn't want to remember their names, or listen to their hopes of escaping, she knew the truth to this place. This place was a one way trip to hell.

Many before them would shout and scream about never becoming a slave to those monsters of the world, but eventually, their shouts and screams turned into nothing more than a few whimpers and groans, as they accepted their fate. And there wasn't anything anyone could do to stop it.

In a way she was jealous of the newcomers, they obviously knew each other and were close enough to want to protect each other. Even though they would be sent to hell and back, they would at least have each other.

Unlike her.

She was alone.

Always alone.

"Old man, what happened to her?" A small voice spoke out and she gripped herself tighter.

"Lu," Sabo warned.

"They take her away every couple of days, just like the rest of us. You will be taken too, eventually." The old man spoke. She shivered, remembering that her appointment had been interrupted today, by the newcomers. What exactly would tomorrow bring for her?

"I call her Flick," her head lifted towards the man and she could almost hear a smile in his voice. The old man was one of the only people left in the cages whom had seen what she could do; she actually didn't mind the small nickname he had given her. It was better than no name at all.

"Flick?" Ace asked and she felt herself nod even if he wasn't intending on her for clarification she gave it anyway. She accepted the name that was given to her.

The rest of the day blurred by, as she fell in and out of sleep. Every time she woke, she caught snippets of the boy's conversations. Their plans on escaping, their comforting words to Luffy, or their promises to not let the other get hurt.

She almost wanted to laugh at them. The prospects of escaping were slim at best; but the thoughts of not getting hurt were impossible. No one down here went more than a few days without earning a new mark.

The hours drifted by and she ignored the conversations that were being directed towards her from Sabo and the others. Instead, she let her body slide down onto the cold hard floor and let sleep take over. She never really slept in her cage, or she never thought she did, one slightest noise and her eyes would flash open, to see nothing, but she was always on her guard.

She would never be caught by surprise again. Too many times in the beginning the guards had hurt her or tricked her due to her carelessness. But never again.

The sound of the main door opening caused her to quickly pull herself up against the back wall and she tucked herself in, much like the day before. Heavy metal boots slowly and purposely moved towards her at the end of the room. Gulping, she squeezed herself tightly and listened to the sound of metal keys scraping across the metal wires of the cages.

"He's not taking us," she could hear the boy opposite her, whisper in defiance. But she knew that they weren't coming for them today, they were coming for her.

Clenching her jaw and tightening her hands to fists she prepared herself for the moment to strike. Her heart pounded in her chest from the sheer excitement or from fear, she was never too sure which emotion outweighed the other, but she was always prepared. Her bare feet were pressed firmly into the cold hard metal flooring, ready to push off at any given moment. She would not be taken without a fight. She was not going to give in.

"Hey don't touch her!" a loud scream erupted beside her and she tensed.

"Leave her alone!" Why would the boys scream for her safety?

Hearing the man's laugh just in front of her caused her to notice the sound of his keys undoing the lock of her cage. That brief moment had completed knocked her off guard, causing her to almost lose her sense.

"Ready girlie," she waited until she felt his calloused hands on her elbow, and then she snapped her head up. Digging her heals into the metal below she launched herself forwards and threw her palms out towards him. The feeling of her air rushed down her arms, and with all the force she had, she struck the man forcing him backwards.

The sound of the man colliding with the back cages forced her into action. Slipping to the edge of her cage she lowered herself out and glided down to the ground; landing down on one knee.

"What the hell!"

"Go Flick!"

"She's a devil fruit user…"

"Run!"

She glanced over her shoulder, hearing the sounds of the boys claims, was her first mistake. She hesitated.

"Run Flick!" Sabo's voice trailed down to her, but she was too slow. Feeling a strong blow to her stomach she was knocked backward and thumped against the front of another's cage.

"Get up girlie," the strong firm voice from within the cage called out to her. Trai. Acknowledging his command she placed her hands against his cage and pulled herself to her feet.

A smirk appeared on her face as she pulled the air back and wrapped it around her like a protective shield, readying herself for round two. She knew she could never hold up her shield long enough to escape the punishment. But she would give them hell trying.

"Got a new toy princess," she heard the man laugh and suddenly a ripple of pain ran through her shield and into her body. Her shield coiled back instantly, not able to withstand the electricity that ran through her feet and into her body. There was no strength left in her body as she was dragged from the brig and towards the interrogation room.

She was disappointed that she had lasted even less than the previous attempt, she hadn't even made it to the door and it was all those boys fault; they made her second guess her escape. She was getting overall weaker as the days went by, and she was afraid, soon she wouldn't be able to put her shield up at all, and they would have free range to do whatever they wanted to her without any resistance from her.

* * *

Ace watched in complete shock as the small red-haired girl was dragged away barely conscious. From the first moment he had seen her he had assumed that she was a weakling, a girl taken from her home, broken down, and beaten, until there wasn't an inch of fight left in her. But he was wrong.

She was tiny, she would barely even reach Luffy's height, and by the looks of her clothes sagging off her, he knew that they weren't going to be handed any four course meals.

His eyes had caught onto her long dark red hair that seemed to stick to every part of her body, at first he thought it was coloured with blood, and some of it probably was, but he could see her clearly now.

How long had she been here?

What had they done to her to make her look like this?

He felt bad for what he had initially thought of her, but what was he supposed to think, the girl was blind and mute.

But that look on her face as she attacked, he couldn't get it out of his mind. That wasn't the face of someone who had given up on all hope escaping; she was still fighting at every chance she got.

"Sea stone…" he looked up to his brother who was standing at the edge of his cage staring into the girl's empty one next to him.

"Sabo?" he asked.

"She's wearing the same sea stone ankle brace that Luffy's got. How could she possible attack like that?" Sabo spoke out loud.

"Flick's something special isn't she?" all heads snapped to the old man locked in the cage at the end of his row.

"You knew?" Ace asked.

"Of course, that girl has fought back every time they've tried to take her. That blindfold of hers, I can only assume it's got something to do with holding back her power. God knows that sea stone does fuck all to her." The old man laughed and rubbed his long growing beard.

"But, how it that possible?" Sabo spoke.

"No idea kid, how is anything that fruit users do possible."

Ace sat down at the edge of his cage and saw Luffy do the same next to him. Sharing a cage well allowed them to sit close enough to thread their hands through the small gaps in the metal. Looking at his brother shiver in his cage, He could practically taste the fear that was rolling off him.

"What are they doing to her?" Luffy whispered eyeing off the door that lead to god knows where.

"I don't know Lu," he squeezed his hand tight.

"They're tearing her apart bit by bit." Ace glared at the other man in the room. He was tall, well that was as far as he could tell, and the man was sitting in his cage hunched over, barely able to even sit up straight. His long dark black hair seemed to give away how long the man had been in here without a bath.

"Enough Trai," the old man spoke with deep authority, causing Trai to raise his hands in surrender.

"Just giving them the heads up, they ought to be prepared." He laughed and leant back against his cage, causing the whole room to shake with his weight.

"Ace…" Luffy whimpered and he turned to face his brother whose face now showed the complete terror they were all feeling.

"I won't let them hurt you." He whispered hoping he was able to keep his promise. Looking over to other side of the room he could see the same expression on Sabo's face. They had sworn since the day they had toasted to being sworn brothers, that they would never let anyone hurt each other, especially Luffy. He had already been through enough torture and pain because of them; they weren't going to let it happen again.

"Sleep Lu, we'll be watching over you." Sabo called from the other side of the room and with the small bit of permission Luffy nodded and let his head fall against their joining walls.

It was a few hours before the main doors reopened and the same man reappeared, dragging the now battered girl behind him. Drops of blood trailed behind them as they moved along the wall of cages.

Ace noticed a new set of lacerations on her back, legs and arms. Without saying a word the guard opened her cage and threw her inside, the girl didn't even make a sound as she tumbled in a heap at the back of her cage. Ace moved forwards and looped his fingers through the metal holes trying to get a better look at the girl; to see if she was still conscious.

"Hey, are you alright?" Sabo voiced, kneeling down peering through the wall much like Ace was trying to do.

Ace was able to hold back the gasp that Sabo wasn't able to. The girl pushed herself back up and sat against the back of her cage, and in that moment he could see exactly what the girl had just been through.

What those monsters had done to her.

His hands gripped the metal door and he felt his arms push against it again, and again, and again. His mind swapped the girl with Luffy, and all he could see was his little brother lying helplessly at the bottom of the cage covered in blood and bruises.

"Ace…" he turned his head sharply to the side and saw Luffy flinch. Quickly masking his anger he moved back to his side and pushed his hands through the cage holes and gripped onto his brother.

"I won't let that happen to you. I will kill every single person who dares lay a hand on my brothers."

"I'm scared," Luffy whispered to push himself closer to him.

"I know Lu," Ace spoke calmly and squeezed his hands. He didn't want to admit it out loud but he was scared too.

He looked to Sabo and could see the fear in his eyes, not only for their little brother but for themselves as well. Just as he was about to open his mouth to comfort his other brother the main door opened with a bang. Luffy whimpered and pulled himself closer.

Sabo moved to the back of his cage hoping to hide himself as much as possible.

"I see it's my turn." Trai laughed as he was dragged out of his cage. Ace could now see how truly tall that man was. He towered over the guard that was pulling him to his feet. But with the metal rod in the guard's hand, had Trai complying pretty easily.

It wasn't until the door was shut did the three of them release the breath they were all holding.

* * *

Octavia let her body slump to the side of her cage, sighing she closed her eyes beneath her blindfold. Her body rippled with pain, and as she expected it was twice the pain than her usual visits. It would take days before she would be able to fight back with her full intent. Maybe that's why she was getting harsher treatments?

"You okay?" she heard Sabo whisper beside her. She had forgotten about her neighbour, slowly she pushed herself away from the shared wall and slumped against the back wall; trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

The pain took over and she fell into the darkness that she had been dreading. It gave her a little piece knowing that she was done for the day. She would have enough time to rest, and hopefully restore what little strength she could for the next day; for the next fight.

The signal of the next round of punishments awoke her, but she kept still. She could hear Trai's colourful voice yell as he was being dragged along the floor. The scent of his blood hit her nose and she had to turn her face into her arm hoping to shield herself from the smell she detested most in the world.

The next few days went about the same. She listened as the others were dragged off to the room of despair, everyone apart from the newcomers. They had been spared for the first few days, at least she thought it had been days, for all she knew it could have been hours.

Their meals came and went at random times throughout her stay, causing her to lose track of the time she had been locked in this windowless room. Even though she had no sight, she could still tell when there was a light on in the room or not. Too add to their torture, their light was always left on.

"Next up, Rubber boy." The guard announced as the door swung open with a loud bang. She knew it was only a matter of time before one of the boys were taken. Although she had to wonder which one of them he was referring to, and by the sounds of it someone else in the room was a fruit user. She shivered at the thought of another one of her kind here. They didn't treat devil fruit users very kindly here, hell, they made it double as bad.

The last man who was here was a devil fruit user. He had the ability to heal. An ability that those wardens took too much pleasure in. That was at least three weeks ago, three weeks since she had last heard his voice. It was a cold morning when they each woke to a loud scream. Being locked in a cage with sea stone restraints, causes ones powers to stop working. She couldn't even remember the man's name but she remembered the sounds of his last breaths as he had slit his own wrists in the night.

"No!" Three shouts yelled causing her to snap back into the present.

"Ace, Sabo!" Luffy cried and pleaded as the guards moved closer. She could hear the others banging on their cages next to her, trying to escape.

The victim of the day was the youngest.

The Devil fruit user was Luffy.

Luffy was going to be taken next.

"Take me instead!" Ace yelled and she flinched; "Take me you asshole!"

"The rubber brat sounds a hell of a lot more fun to play with than you kid," the guard snickered and she felt her blood boil; "Got great plans for you kid." He was just a boy. They were going to hurt the boy.

"No please, don't!" Luffy cried.

_'No, please I'll do anything…' her voice rang through her ears._

"I'm going to fucken kill you!" Sabo screamed from her side.

_'Please someone help me…'_

"Don't hurt me please…Ace help me." Luffy begged and she felt her heart pound in her chest. She could hear the rattle of the keys and the sound of a cage door being forced open.

_'Help me please, someone help me…' _her own memories echoed in her mind.

"Sabo save me, please."

Before she realised what she was doing her arm moved out from underneath her side and along the cold metal floor; until her palm was facing towards the sounds of the pleading boy.

"No, no! NO!" Luffy screamed and she pushed.

A force of air pulsed from her body and down her arm. She hoped that she had aimed correctly and found the boy, and then she felt it. The silence that deafened around them confirmed her aim was correct.

"What the?" Ace stopped punching the gate as he was thrown back and away from Luffy. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a bubble surrounding his baby brother; like the one that the girl had used to try and protect herself with earlier.

"Fucken bitch," the guard sneered clutching his shoulder in pain from the force he had just received.

Ace could see her; Flick, she was lying down in her cage, but she was facing towards Luffy's cage.

"Good for nothing monster, drop the shield." The guard pounded on her cage.

Ace's eyes turned sharply to his brother praying that whatever protection was saving his brother was still there. Luffy sat in the middle of the bubble with his hands pressed gently against the force that was keeping him safe; tears running down his face in streams.

"Monster." The guard pulled out a metal stick and stuck it through her cage. "Want another round today huh?"

"Flick, watch out!" Sabo yelled seeing the electric prod aiming for her.

Suddenly a second shield appeared and wrapped around her protectively. The guard cursed and tried again and again to break the defences she had put up. She was smarter this time. This time she made sure her shield was completely surrounding her, not even her feet were touching the metal flooring.

"Fine, you can't protect them all." The guard turned away.

Standing up Ace stood in the middle of his cage and moved into his defensive position. He and his brothers had fought tigers stronger and scarier than this man before.

But he wasn't expecting the metal rod to poke through his cage and shock the shit out of him. The electricity ran through his body and he felt his body fall to the ground and shake on the cold metal. He could hear the sounds of his brother's calling to him, but the last thing he remembered seeing was the girl still in her cage with her hand out protecting his baby brother.

* * *

"Ace!" The two boys surrounding her screamed out, as the other was dragged off silently out of the brig, and into the interrogation room, where he would meet the same fate as her. It wasn't until the door slammed shut, did she release her hold on both the shields around Luffy and herself.

"Why did you do that!" Luffy screamed and thrashed against his cage door; "Why did you let them take him instead of me!" he cried and she pushed herself to her knees.

Her breathing came in short sharp gasps as she tried to retake control over herself. She gripped the front of her tattered dress and fisted the material around her heart. She could feel it pounding in her chest over and over again. It seemed to echo in her ears and around the room, she swore the others must have been able to hear it as well. Bowing her head down she tried to count in her head, trying to steady out her breathing and lower her heart rate.

Tears welled in her eyes as the memories came flooding back to her first time being taken away, from the first time she had broken her silence and begged to be saved. She remembered that blinding fear that filled her entire body. She begged for her mother to save her, begged for someone to save her. Wiping her eyes she manager to bite back the sob that was threatening to escape.

She wasn't weak.

She would not show these monsters her fear.

Never again.

"Luffy it's okay," Sabo tried to calm him the youngest one down, but his hysterics only grew louder.

"He's getting hurt for me!" He bellowed still thrashing against his metal cage door; "It's not fair!"

"Your nose," Sabo whispered from beside her and her hand quickly moved to the source and she felt it. A trickle of blood ran down from her nose and onto her lips. Feeling her head spin she moved her body to lean against the wall, hoping it would ground her somehow and to stop the spinning.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed out.

"Luffy, that's enough." Sabo commanded and the yelling died down immediately and all she could hear was the faint sobbing from the boy.

Her head fell against their adjoining walls and she felt herself drifting at the edges of her subconscious. The darkness of her mind was beckoning her to let go and to fall unconscious, but she fought it. They would be back soon.

"Hell of a thing you just did, Flick." She couldn't move her head, but a small smile lifted on her lips towards Tatsumi. He was the only one who still remained from the eight men who were originally here when she had first arrived. She could still recall them cheering for her, chanting at her as she would escape time after time, at every time she fought back against those monsters. And then all eight of those men started to fight back with her, each of them shouted loudly for the chosen one to fight back. They became a sick sort of support group. Shaking her head she refused to remember their names, refused to bring up that past.

But those eight were now down to two, her and Tatsumi. He was the only one to see what she could really do. Back then she was only ever able to place a shield around herself, never on something and never on someone else.

"What are you talking about old man?" Sabo asked.

"What she just did, never seen that before. She must have seen something in that boy, in order for her to protect him like that. Or heard something, in her case." Tatsumi laughed.

"Thank you, for saving my little brother…" Sabo's voice was the last thing she heard before she gave into the darkness.

* * *

**Well that was it, what do you think? **

**I'm open for suggestions and critiques **

**Thanks**

**Octavia x**


	2. Chapter 2 - Plain Sight

**Hey everyone, thanks for those who reviewed. **

_**Not really big on notes so here it goes :)**_

_**Enjoy xx**_

* * *

**_"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal."_**

* * *

_'We're going to be together, forever, right Ace?' he looked over to his little brother and smiled. _

_'Idiot, of course we are. I will be Captain and Sabo will be my first-mate.' He grinned looking over at Sabo who threw out his fishing line and rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to get in the middle of this discussion again. _

_'But I want to be Captain…' Luffy whined kicking at a small pebble at his feet. _

_'No, you rubber brains, can be our entertainment.' Ace and Sabo laughed seeing their youngest brother's expression. _

_'You're so mean Ace!' Luffy launched himself towards him and he quickly prepared for the mini battle his brother would pitch against him. _

_'Ace why can't I be captain…'_

_'Ace…' _

_Ace…_

"Ace," a voice broke through his memories and he groaned feeling everything. Slowly as he remembered what had really happened to him in that sick place, all of the pain finally registered through his body. He hissed trying to sit up.

"Ace!" His brothers called out to him once he was finally resting against the metal wall.

Scratching the back of his head he could already feel a large lump forming, the last thing he remembered was, mister tall-sticky-tattoo-face guy, lifting his metal glove towards him. He must have passed out sometime during their interrogations against him.

The only thing he was grateful for was that bastards didn't focus too much on his face, something apparently about damaging the merchandise. Blinking his eyes a few times his vision finally cleared and he could see his distraught younger brother clutching at their combined wall with tears flooding down his face.

"I'm fine Lu," he winced at the sound of his own voice. It sounded terrible.

He was pretty sure that he looked exactly how he felt right now. Lifting his arm, he threaded his hand through cage and into his brother's awaiting grasp. He bit back his wince as Luffy's hands clung to his bruises and cuts.

"I'm sorry," Luffy whimpered and hugged his arm to his chest. Ace tried hard not to wince at the pressure but right now his brother needed all the comfort he could possible give him.

"It's not your fault Lu," he whispered trying to calm his brother; "It's their fault. Remember that, it will always be their fault."

"What happened?" he turned to Sabo who looked like he had aged so much in the how ever many hours he was gone for.

"Nothing I can't handle. Hell that old Geezer hits harder than these bastards." He laughed to cover up the cough that surged in his chest. Luffy laughed but Sabo knew the truth.

"Fist of Love," Luffy mimicked their grandfather completely forgetting about what he was feeling moments ago. Ace smiled to him and nodded glad that he wasn't worrying too much anymore.

Ace looked over to Sabo and both their eyes met. With a small nod they were both in agreement. Luffy would not be entering that room. His brother was not stupid, he knew exactly what would happen if their younger devil fruit brother was ever dragged off into that room. Hell the old geezer had made it perfectly clear when they were younger that no one was to ever find out about Luffy's powers.

They were going to keep their brother away from that room no matter what.

But neither of them knew how to do that exactly.

"Hey Flick," Ace looked over to the other cage hoping that she was awake. He saw a small bob of her head and her body shifted slightly, giving him enough indication that she was in fact awake and listening to him.

"What you did back there, when we get out of here. I will repay you somehow, someday. Thank you." He bowed his head slightly, even knowing that the girl could not see him do so, it was out of respect. He respected her on a whole different level now.

She did something that neither him, nor Sabo could do right now.

She protected Luffy.

* * *

The next few days or weeks, nobody was really sure how time passed here, pushed on the same for the four of them. They all seemed to lose track on how many hours or day or even weeks had passed. The monster's that kept them were smart, they kept the retrieval of their next victim scattered and spontaneous. No one knew if it was time for the next victim or if they were getting food or water. And it kept the four of them anxious every minute, of every day.

Octavia kept her head down and kept her movements to a minimum, to try and retain her strength for when the guards came. Every time they came they would swap around who they were taking for the day, some days it was Ace, and other days it was Sabo. But every time they walked through the main door to select a victim they would start with Luffy.

A cough broke through her lips as she released her hold on Luffy and herself for the second time that morning.

"Stop it please," Luffy whispered in defeat from his cell. But she shook her head; "I can take it. I'm strong. Stop hurting yourself for me."

"I'm so sorry," Sabo pleaded from their joined wall; "I want to tell you to stop, that you're hurting yourself, but you're also saving my brother from that place. I'm so sorry." She could hear the regret in his voice but she shook her head. She had her own reasons for doing what she was doing; there was only a small part in her that was doing it for the brothers.

"We will get out of here, we just need a plan." She wasn't sure if the boy was talking to her or if he was merely trying to convince himself that there was hope for them.

She could feel her body getting worse as the hours went on, her strength was all but zero and there was still meant to be another victim today, another chance for them to get Luffy. She wondered if they were now doing it purposely now, to break her down. For when they came to take her away, now there wasn't much of a fight for them. She had used all her energy in protecting the boy at all costs.

As the main door reopened she could hear Ace's low groans as his body was being dragged back into their room. Throwing her shield out, she wrapped it around Luffy, but this time not bothering to wrap it around her. She had to conserve her strength for now. And for the first time in a very long time she felt relieved as the guard locked the cage and disappeared; without so much of a bang against her own cage.

"Fucken hell." Ace groaned.

He sat up against the wall and thread his hand through the cage to his Luffy, just like they had done every time he was taken away. Luffy took no time in sitting next to his brother and taking his hand.

Octavia blocked out the conversation the boys were having and leant against the joined wall. She had taken into sleeping against the side wall, next to Sabo. He turned out to be an excellent guard for her and he would always wake her if she had missed the door opening.

She grew to enjoy hearing the soft, gentle voice of the boy beside her. She would often hear him whisper the tails and adventures they had been on together. And what they would do when they got out of here. She wondered if it was to try and keep the faith that they would escape alive or if it was just to keep busy.

In the beginning she tried to block out those visions of climbing mountains and sailing from island to island, it was too much for her to vision as a possibility. But now she clung onto it, hoping that it might be something she would experience.

"Where's Sabo's archipello?" a small voice broke her from her daze and she froze.

"Sabaody Archipelago…" Sabo whispered the correction from beside her. She could feel the boy sitting with his back up against their joined cage. Slowly she pushed herself to mimic his position, in a way it was her way of telling the others that she was now awake and she was listening.

"It's where they're taking us." Sabo whispered defeat lacing his voice; "To be slaves."

"Not all of us." Ace spoke softly and she could almost feel his gaze upon her. She knew he knew now.

"What do you mean?" Sabo asked hesitantly, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer to that or not.

"They're taking Flick to Impel Down." Ace whispered so softly she barely heard him.

She let her head fall against her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around her body, as if she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. That was the last place she ever wanted to end up. But it would only be a matter of days before they reached her final destination and then it was all over for her.

Her days were numbered.

Any moment now she would be the one taken from the ship and never returned.

When she first arrived here, she thought it was a sick joke they were playing on her. She didn't truly believe that the world government would want a little girl in impel down, she was no pirate. But as the days, weeks, months went on she began to realise that it wasn't a joke, that they were really taking her to that place to spend the rest of her life there.

"No. Why there! She hasn't done anything wrong! She's just a kid." Sabo stood up from his spot and looked at his brother. They all knew what happened at that place, what they did to the prisoners there. Pirates would rather kill themselves right there and then, than to be ever taken to that hell.

"What about us?" Luffy whispered looking to his older brother for an answer; "What's going to happen to us?"

"It's not going to happen." Ace growled which caused the girls head to rise; "None of us are going anywhere we don't want to."

Sabo looked at his brother with new found hope. The last few days had begun to destroy them; he could see it on their faces. Their chances of a rescue, or any form of an escape, were vanishing as every hour drifted away. Soon Flick wouldn't be able to hold up even one shield, and then Luffy would be taken away from them.

He noticed that the hours between food and water were slowly getting longer and longer apart. He wondered if this was part of their plan, to break them down to absolutely nothing and then they would be free to do whatever they wanted to them with little resistance.

At the start he had hoped that maybe Garp would come for them, or at least Ace and Luffy but it was almost two weeks now or maybe more, they had lost count quick enough.

"I got this." Ace whispered looking around the room, before pulling something from his pants. It was a long metal wire.

Sabo's smile widened and a bubble of hope rose in his chest. The three of them had been through a lot together, from bandits, to World Nobles, to Celestial Dragons, but now, with that small slither of metal they could make a plan.

"Hey Flick," Ace called trying to get her attention; "Can you by any chance move that shield of yours once it has something inside?" Ace asked hoping that his makeshift plan would work. He had a lot of theories about the girl, and what she could do, and in the end his escape plan would come down to what he had assumed of her.

She sat still for a moment before nodding her head slowly. She hadn't down it before but it seemed easy enough.

"Can't you just throw it over here?" Sabo asked not wanting her to be forced to use her powers any more than she already had been. Every time her shield came out he noticed a trickle of blood drip from her nose. She was using it too often and her body was now starting to reject it.

"No, the grates below, if it falls through all hope is lost." Ace answered already gone through all the possible ways of getting the wire to Sabo.

"Any chance you've got enough energy at the moment?" Ace asked praying that this would work tonight. And by the morning they would be free. She nodded and he tried hard to contain the smile on his face.

"Okay grab this and give it to Sabo?" Ace asked and held out his hand through the cage with the small piece of wire in his palm. He looked at the girl who had now moved to the front of her cage and waited.

"You're an idiot." Sabo laughed shaking his head at his brother.

"What the hell Sabo, I'm trying here." Ace defended.

"She's blind." Sabo raised his eyebrow to his brother and saw his look of realisation hit him.

"Fuck," Ace readjusted his spot and poked his arm through his cage and just in front of Luffy's.

"Flick, I've got my hand about a foot in front of Luffy. Can you find it?" He asked. With a small nod she pushed her hand through her cage and they all watched as a small burst of air pushed past her cage.

Ace almost dropped the wire when he felt the air wrap around his hand.

"Do I drop it?" he asked not sure what to do now. She nodded and held up three fingers. "On the count of three?" he questioned and she nodded again.

"Okay, one, two – three." He bit his lip as he dropped the wire and released his hand. He smiled when the air around the piece of metal hardened and the familiar bubble was floating in the air. Slowly they all watched in fascination as the small pocket of air was pulled away from Ace and Luffy and towards the front of Sabo's cage.

"Okay got it." She released the shield at the sound of Sabo's voice and dropped her hand back in her cage; "Now what?" Sabo looked at Ace wondering what the next steps in his brilliant escape plan were.

"Pick Flick's blindfold." Ace grinned and saw the girls shocked face.

_'Pick Flick's blindfold…'_

_'Pick Flick's blindfold…'_

_'Pick Flick's blindfold…' _

Her mind ran wild with the thoughts of seeing again. Being able to see where she was going, she what was coming towards her. She wouldn't need to rely only on the sounds around her, she would be able to defend herself better now.

_'Pick Flick's blindfold…'_

"And then what, we can't pick these cage doors with this small wire?" Sabo asked a little angrily, he had gotten his hopes up to quickly. He should have heard his brother's entire plan before passing judgement.

"I heard a little rumour from the guards a couple days back. As to why Flick has the blindfold." Sabo looked at Ace and then to the girl who seemed to suddenly radiate happiness. Out of however many days or weeks they had been there, he had never seen the girl so much as smile, but now she was practically jumping on her spot with a smile he had never seen before plastered on her face.

Octavia couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were going to help her escape as well, she was included in their escape plan. She pushed down the small bit of doubt that told her they were using her powers to escape. But right now she didn't care; she was going to escape from this place. Or at least she was going to get the blindfold off even for a few minutes.

"Turn around," Sabo whispered to her and she quickly placed her back against their joining wall and pushed her head back so the lock was as close as possible. Her hands gathered her hair and pulled it over her shoulder trying to give Sabo all the room he needed. It didn't take long for the small click of her lock to open. Her hands moved to her face as she waited for Sabo to take off the padlock.

Her heart pounded in her chest with excitement. She hadn't felt like this in so long, well she couldn't remember the last time she felt like there was some form of hope for her.

"Okay," he gave her the signal and quickly she ripped off the metal blindfold and threw it as far away from her as possible. She didn't care how many people she would have to fight, she was never getting that thing placed back on her, and she was never going to be blinded again.

She couldn't remember the last time she had seen something with her own eyes. Gently opening her eyes by a fraction, she saw the blurred colours of her hands. Blinking a few times she tried to wash away the water that pooled in the corners of her eyes.

Looking up she suddenly gasped and squeezed her eyes back shut and bowed her head into her hands. Blocking out all the lights that pierced her eyes.

Groaning her hands moved to her temples and tried to sooth the pan that flooded her mind.

"Flick!" She could feel the tears pool in her hands as the pain throbbed in the back of her eyes and down her whole body.

"One second girlie," a voice she hadn't imagined speaking brought her mind back to the present. She heard a shattering sound and she could almost feel the light disappear from behind her eyes; "Try now, but slowly." Taking in Trai's advice she moved her hands from her face and slowly blinked keeping her eyes down on the metal beneath her.

At first sight there was a twinge of pain but nothing like before. Feeling more confident she opened them wider until they were completely open. She stared down at her hands and blinked over and over as the blurred images slowly cleared.

Twisting her hands back and forth a small laugh burst through her lips in fascination, it had seemed like forever since she had seen herself, or at least a part of herself. Her hands looked better than what she had imagined, her nails were cracked and crusty with her bloody but they weren't as torn up as they felt. She thought she had even lost a few a while ago through the interrogations, but she had all ten nails,

Lifting her head she saw for the first time the man who was caged at the other end of her line. He gave her a wide broken smile and that's when she saw the now broken lightbulb in his hands with his palm dripping with small droplets of blood.

"Gorgeous aren't I?" Trai mocked and let out a rough laugh.

"Flick?" she turned her body around and looked at the boy behind her. A small smile came to her lips as she saw Sabo for the first time. She actually didn't picture him to be a curly head blonde, but the smile was something she had envisioned. He was sweet and caring with his words and his appearance mimicked his personality perfectly, right down to the missing tooth.

"Hi," he blushed slightly and waved towards her awkwardly.

Taking the time she looked over the blonde boy in front of her and guessed that he was maybe a few years older than she was, he was taller than her by a good foot, and he looked well kept apart from the clothes and bruises he supported now. But he used to be healthy and strong once upon a time.

"Can we do this later? We have to work out the rest of the plan." Ace caught her attention and she looked over at the dark haired boy.

Now he was definitely how she envisioned him, all except the dimples and freckles that was a surprise. His body was strong and sturdy, or at least used to be. She could tell that he had suffered the worst of the abuse out of the brothers. And that's when she looked at Luffy who was jumping up and down at the front of his cage.

"Hi, I'm Monkey D. Luffy." The young boy's wide grin was infectious. She waved to him and earned a giggle from the boy.

"Okay, now what boy genius?" Sabo interrupted and mimicked her position at the front of his cage.

"Now it's on Flick, you can teleport right?" Ace asked and she blinked in shock. How had he figured that out?

"Teleport?" Sabo asked just as shocked as the rest of the people locked in the room.

"Heard from the guards that she had this power to disappear and reappear in the blink of an eye." Ace grinned; "So I thought that's why they put the blindfold on her, she needs to see where to go. Am I right?" Ace asked.

Slowly she nodded. Ace's plan was slowly coming together and even now she could see it. If she could get out of the cage and get the keys, they all had a chance to escape.

"That's why I call her Flick. She flickers from sight." She looked through her caged wall and for the first time she laid eyes on the man who had given her the nickname. He was as old as she has assumed, like a grandfather almost. His long grey hair seemed to thin out into nothing by his shoulders and his beard was just as long.

"Hey there Flick, nice to finally meet you." Tatsumi smiled towards her and she felt her smile return for him. She grinned finally being able to put a face to not only the name but to the voice.

"Alright kid, good plan. But how do we get the keys?" Trai spoke up moving to his door and hunched over. Ace looked a little shocked but there was a better chance in escaping if he including both the others in the escape.

"We wait till the next guard comes in; Flick flickers out, distracts the man, grabs the keys, and we're free." Ace crossed his arms over his chest in satisfaction. But the rest of the prisoner's did not have that same confidence. There were flaws in his plan, everywhere.

"That's it, that's your genius escape plan?" Sabo slapped his hand over his face and wondered how he or his brothers were still alive with him being in charge.

"Here's what we do," they all turned and looked towards Tatsumi as he spoke.

* * *

Octavia sat in the corner of her cage, trying to keep her body from trembling from the fear that ran through her entire body, she gripped onto the metal blindfold keeping it hidden from any unwanted eyes. If she had her way, it wouldn't even be touching her let alone in her hands, but it couldn't be seen by anyone especially the guards. And in her other hand held something else she didn't want to be touching, glass. She held a chunk of the light bulb in her hand wrapped in a scrap of Trai's shirt so she wouldn't cut herself.

"You okay?" She heard Sabo whisper from the side of their cage and she nodded. The entire plan revolved around how well she succeeding in her part. Without her, there was not going to be any escape, she was the only chance they had and if she blew it, then there would never be a second chance.

This was it.

"We'll be fine. We'll get out of here together and then when were safe we can have all those adventures we talked about." Turning her head slowly she peeked her eyes from over her elbow and saw a smiling Sabo leaning against the back of his cage. His hand was poking through the wall and towards her; "We'll be safe. All of us."

Slowly she shuffled closer to the corner of the cage and placed her hand on top of his. He gave her a gentle squeeze and she felt a little bit more confidence rise up inside her.

He was about to open his mouth to say something but the sound of the main door opening forced her hand back and her head down.

It was time.

She sat still and waited.

Waited for the signal to move.

"There's one." She heard Sabo's confirmation and nodded. They had three plans in place; Plan A, if there was one guard; Plan B, if there were two; and Plan C, was to abort if there were more than two guards.

She heard the door close and she felt herself flinch at the way that it seemed to echo all around her. Usually she would hear every sound that resonated around the room, the footsteps, the heavy breathing, the light flickering, the movement of others, but right now it was absolutely dead quiet. She could practically hear the sound of her own heart pounding in her chest.

"Hey asshole!" Tatsumi called from the front of the room.

"What did you call me old man?" The guard stopped right in front of Tatsumi's cage.

"He's turning." Sabo whispered detailing everything that was happening before them. Timing was crucial to the plan.

"You heard me. You're a fucken piece of shit you know that. Bet you get off on beating up little kids don't you. Can't get it up with a lady huh?" Tatsumi taunted.

Gripping the glass tightly in her hands she prepared herself.

"You piece of scum." The guard mumbled and she could hear the sounds of the keys in his hands.

"Now." Sabo whispered and her head lifted instantly.

She captured everything in that moment.

Tatsumi was now on his feet and had his fists through the cage gripping the guard's shirt tightly. She could see the guard going for the metal rod at his belt but she was quicker.

Disappearing from her cage, she reappeared directly behind the guard. With a small jump she landed on the man's back, and wrapped her legs around his waist and clamped her left hand over his mouth.

Do it.

Do it and you'll be free.

Now.

One quick movement and her right armed hand slashed across the weakest part of his throat.

Eight seconds…

That's how long it took for her to take someone's life.

Eight seconds and he was gone from this world.

He would never move again, never breathe again.

Never hurt anyone ever again.

"Flick…"

"Come on sweetheart, look at me." Her eyes slowly lifted from the dark red blood covering her legs and hands and onto a set of blue eyes in front of her. Tatsumi knelt at the front of his cage with his hands gripping the metal bars.

"It's alright Flick. You're going to be alright." He smiled gently to her and she felt her heart slow to a semi normal rate.

"Grab the keys Flick, and we will be out of here soon." He spoke softly and she followed his orders. Trying to ignore the sight of his blood soaking in her clothes, she fished the keys that were attached to the man's belt and stood in front of the door.

Placing the key in the door she pulled it open and suddenly a set of arms were around her and she flinched.

"Go to the others," he patted her softly on the top of the head and turns her shoulders towards Trai first.

"You did good twerp," Trai smiled down at her as she fumbled with the door to his cage. As soon as he was free she saw him dart off to the side and help Tatsumi with the body. She didn't dare glance back at the front of the room; she didn't want to see the body again.

"You okay?" she reached Sabo's cage and she nodded. She wasn't really sure if she truly was or not, but right now was not the time to have a breakdown from her first kill. As soon as his cage was unlocked she moved to the opposite side and undid Luffy's. Sabo was there to help the boy down from the height while she moved to free Ace.

This was the first time she had seen the boy up close. His skin and body seemed to reflect hers, cuts and bruises everywhere, which told her that he had received the same level of treatment that she had.

"When we get out of here, ask for anything and I will grant it for you. Anything alright." Ace smiled and jumped out of his cage.

"You guys ready?" Tatsumi walked towards them and whispered.

"We don't have long; someone will be suspicious when he doesn't return with one of us." Ace spoke and they all knew that they had a very small window of opportunity. Feeling all her energy drained she leant against the cage door and watched as Sabo undid the sea stone cuff around Luffy's ankle.

"Do you want yours off?" he asked looking at her. She looked down at her own restraint and nodded. He moved towards her and undid the cold metal cuff. As soon as it fell off she felt a small burst of energy being restored. A sigh escaped her lips and Sabo looked up at her with a smile on his face. The sea stone might not have affected her as much as the other fruit users, but it still drained her.

"Alright twerps you're after Tatsumi." She looked back to Trai who had now removed the grate below them. Trai had come up with the idea of going down instead of up; they would expect that anyone trying to escape off a ship, would try to head to the deck to jump overboard, or to steal a boat. So you do what they don't expect you to do and head down.

_"Sewage lines," all heads snapped to the man in shock. _

_"You can't be serious?" Ace grumbled not liking the sound of trekking through someone else's sewerage. _

_'Well sunshine it ain't going to be pretty, but it heads to the ocean and to our freedom.'_

They watched as Tatsumi jumped down first, armed with the guard's old metal prod in his hands. Ace jumped in next and followed by Luffy who simply held onto Sabo's hands and stretched his body down to Ace. Sabo looked at her as he let go of Luffy's hands and held one out to her.

"You go next, I'll be right behind you." He whispered and she hesitated for a second. She had learnt not to let people stray behind you; it was only easier for them to stab you in the back. But Sabo was different, for some small and idiotic reason she trusted him.

Sitting down on the edge of the grate, she slid herself off the edge, and fell through the dark hole. She landed at the bottom with a jolt and a pair of hands steadied her on her feet. Looking up she saw Ace there giving her a sly smirk.

"Got her." He called out and not a second later Sabo landed beside her followed by Trai.

"Alright Kiddo, up you get, pull that grate over us." Trai picked up Sabo onto his shoulders and with not much trouble Sabo slid the metal grate over the hole and they were officially out of the brig.

"Let's go." Tatsumi led the pack through the small tunnel until they were to a point they deemed safe.

The further they walked the hotter they got, Trai explained that they it would be the safest to follow the pipe until they reached the boiler room. With the noise of the boiler they would be able to enter the pipe and escape quietly.

"Okay, here it goes." Tatsumi took a deep breath before slamming the metal rod down on the joining of the pipe. They all froze and waited to see if there was any reaction from anywhere.

"I think we're good." Trai spoke and Tatsumi took that as a go and continued to bang the metal against the pipe. Slowly they could see the screws start to loosen off a small panel. It was tiny, barely big enough to fit herself through, let alone Trai. But Tatsumi kept at it.

Once the first panel was off, things drastically took a turn for the worse.

Alarms went off and shouts began to echo all around them.

"Fuck!" Tatsumi cursed and threw the rod to the ground. He called Trai for help and together they pulled on the second panel. It quickly came lose but it still wasn't big enough for them.

"Brats you go." Trai yelled and had his hands already on Ace's hips.

"No, what about you!" Sabo shouted over the alarms.

"We will be fine, just go." He threw Ace through the gap and quickly moved onto Luffy.

"Look after her do you hear me!" Tatsumi spoke to Sabo as he lifted him up and into the pipe; "Don't let anyone take her."

"We promise. Just make sure you guys get out okay." Sabo shook Tatsumi's hand before he was pushed into the pipe. Both men turned towards her and she shook her head. She didn't want to leave them behind.

"Come on girlie, we'll be right behind you." Trai placed his hands on her hips and she struggled against him. They were meant to leave together.

"We will meet again Flick. I promise you." She felt Tatsumi press a kiss onto her temple; "Remember never to give up fighting." And suddenly she was thrown into the pipe. She wanted to scream, she wanted to yell at them for letting her go, she wanted to tell them to come with them; they were meant to escape together.

"Flick, come on," Sabo pulled her to her feet and dragged her through the murky water below. The further they went the more her heart raced. She could hear the footsteps above them and the shouts of the men. She just hoped that Tatsumi and Trai had escaped somehow.

"We're here," Ace's voice snapped her back to reality and that's when she noticed the sounds of water. The ocean was a mere grate away. She looked at the three boys who surrounded the small grate below them, leading straight into the ocean. They quickly grabbed at it and with the three of them they managed to tear the grill off without trouble.

"Lu," Ace called and he nodded in complete understanding. Luffy jumped onto his brother's back and wrapped his arms and legs around him; "Deep breathe. Do not let go."

"Flick," she turned to Sabo who had his hand out to her. She shook her head. She couldn't swim. As soon as she stepped out there she was dead.

"I won't let go, I promise." Sabo said taking a step closer towards her.

"Come on, we don't have time." Ace yelled as he sat on the edge of great letting his feet dangle into the water below.

"Trust me Flick, please." Sabo pleaded to her. Hearing the yells and fighting above she gulped.

"Flick it's us or them. Pick!" Ace yelled and her mind was made up.

Her hand moved to Sabo's and as soon as they connect he had pulled her onto his back. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he wrapped his arms under her knees.

"We'll be okay," he whispered as Ace slipped into the water with Luffy on his back. She nodded against his shoulder as he sat down where Ace once was, and let his legs dip into the water.

"Take a deep breath," he ordered her and she did as she was told. As soon as she did Sabo slipped them into the water. Her entire body tensed at the feeling of being submerged. Her chest tightened and threatened to let go of the air trapped in her lungs. She could feel them moving as Sabo headed towards the surface.

Her lungs protested and her eyes flashed open. The salt burned and her vision faltered but she could clearly see the surface of the water coming closer. The air escaped her mouth and she clamped her mouth shut and buried her face into Sabo's neck forcing her not to breath in the water.

As their heads broke the surface, her lungs screamed in protest and gulped down the oxygen it craved.

"You guys okay?" Ace asked when they were closer together.

"Yeah we're f-"

"Look out!" Luffy screamed.

Octavia's eyes turned in just the right second and her arm detached from Sabo's neck and she threw her shield towards the incoming cannonball. They each screamed as the force of the blast hit the shield and sent them flying backwards.

Her hands scrambled through the air desperately trying to latch back onto Sabo as they were torn apart. Her eyes darted in all directions as she saw the furious water below coming closer. Squeezing her eyes shut she braced herself for the impact of the water's surface. Her body weakened almost instantly as she was submerged in the sea water. Clamping her hand over her mouth she threw her eyes open and searched for the others.

Luffy was the closest to her, sinking just as quickly as she was. With all the strength she could muster up at the moment, she sent her shield racing towards the sinking boy. As soon as it was around him she could see him gasp at the air that pocketed around him.

"Flick!" Luffy screamed and pounded against the surface of his protection. Sinking deeper into the darkness of the ocean she finally saw Ace reach Luffy. It was only then did she release the shield and let Ace carry him back to the surface.

Her eyes closed, as she felt a tiny slither of happiness flood through her, she was going out on her own terms. And she saved a young boy in the process. Her lungs screamed at the lack of air and she was about to give in and open her mouth when she felt something tug on her wrist.

Then she felt an arm wrap around her stomach and she was being pulled from the darkness. She opened her eyes and she saw a blurry Sabo. His arm wrapped around her stomach whilst his other desperately pulled through the water, dragging them both closer and closer to the surface. When their heads broke the surface she coughed up the water in her lungs whilst trying to gulp down the precious air.

"You okay?" Sabo panted while clutching onto her a little tighter.

"You came back," she whispered.

They both froze at the sound of her voice.

She had spoken.

She had spoken without realising it.

"Of course I did," he smiled at her and brushed her dark red hair from her eyes as she clung to him.

"Sabo swim!" Ace called from a distance and Octavia turned her head to see a group of cannonballs heading towards them. They managed to dodge them all with some help from her shield and from Luffy's arm punching them away, but they were still stranded in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight.

"Look." Luffy pointed off into the distance. And there at the edge of the horizon was a ship. From this distance there was no telling if it was a Pirate ship or a marines, but they would take whatever they could get.

"Let's go," Ace ordered and Sabo nodded. They swam as fast as they could, but even if they were fully healed, and healthy, they would still struggle against the waves and the incoming attacks.

"Stop," she whispered and Ace turned to her in complete shock.

"You talked!" Luffy pointed towards her like he had seen a ghost.

Sabo was the only one who didn't react so badly. Slowly she placed her hand on the surface of the water beside her and gasps filled the open air. A solid form was now sitting on top of the water's surface. Without hesitation she climbed off Sabo's back, with his help and onto her new surface.

"You're shield?" Ace mumbled, clinging onto the side of the familiar thick air.

She held out a hand to Sabo and pulled him up next to her. Ace quickly got the idea and threw Luffy on top with a thud and pulled himself next to them. The surface wasn't very big but enough for them to stand shoulder to shoulder.

Taking a deep breath she spread her powers forwards and watched as the surface expanded. Taking a hesitant step forwards, and then another and another until she was running on top of the surface. She looked next to her and found the others keeping her pace.

As they stepped off a surface she collapsed it and created another one in front.

"You are so awesome," Luffy laughed as they ran along the top of the water.

"Incoming," Ace called out hearing the sounds of cannon fire. They each turned their heads as the next waves of canons were upon them. Octavia took a small lead in front and used that to direct the others out of harms reach.

"Lu, you defend." Ace pulled Luffy onto his back and Luffy was quick to rotate around and let his arms defend them from as many attacks as possible.

Octavia was amazed at how well they adapted together and the fact that the rubber boy name fully lived up to Luffy's powers. It was as though they had done this a million times before, but thinking back to Sabo's stories they probably had.

Octavia sighed in relief as the silence of the canons brought them a little extra time of safety, but then a new sound emerged.

"Get down!" she felt a push against her back and she dropped to her knees. A high pitched whistle flew past them.

"Snipers! Are you fucken serious?" Ace cursed glancing back at the ship.

Octavia looked around frantically and could see they were all safe on her float.

"Sabo?" she whispered. That's when she saw him clutching his shoulder.

"It's just a graze," he whimpered lifting his head. That's when she saw the blood seeping through his fingers. It looked like it was more than just a graze; "Come on we don't have time." Sabo was first to his feet still clutching his shoulder; "We need to run."

Octavia stood up and nodded. Slowly they took off in a run and she made sure to keep their movements staggered. They weren't running in a straight line, they were zig zagging in different patterns. Another set of whistles flew by and she felt a sharp pain to her leg. Falling to her knees she let out a scream as her leg felt like it was on fire. Looking down she could see blood pooling from her calf.

"Flick," Ace dropped Luffy and quickly grabbed her arm.

"Just keep making the path," Ace spoke and lifted her up taking all of the pressure off her leg. She whimpered but pushed through the pain.

"Ace…" Luffy's fearful voice got them all to turn their heads back.

"No," Ace gasped and turned towards the attack.

"We can't-there's no way we-" Sabo stuttered.

Octavia turned and could almost feel her heart stop. Time seemed to stop as the horde of dark metal flew towards them. There were too many to count, a dozen at least maybe two. Her hands lifted and she could feel her powers protest against her.

She saw her shield appear and disappear from in front of them just as her vision blurred.

"Flick," Ace whispered.

Again, she tried again and again but it wouldn't stay.

"Flick!" Sabo called out in fear.

Again and again.

Black spots appeared in front of her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, throwing her shield out again and again.

"Flick!" the three cried out and with an unknown strength her shield finally stayed.

The first few cannonballs hit and the impact forced them to slide backwards on their platform.

The next wave hit and her shield dispersed,

"Dammit," she cursed falling to her knees.

"No," she whimpered as the shield took a hit and threw them all backwards. They each landed on the surface but as she looked up, she wasn't quick enough to react to the next wave.

The impact threw her into the air.

Her body shuttered and her scream was stuck in her throat as the pain radiated down to her core. She knew she was falling but she couldn't scream, couldn't turn her head, and couldn't search for the others to see where they were; to see if they were alive.

Her eyes began to close and she wondered where the impact was. She was still falling, still floating in the air above. Slowly opening her eyes she felt a smile appear on her lips.

It seemed that everyone was right in one thing, death was peaceful.

She could see the bright yellow and blue flames surround her as she fell into the darkness of the afterlife.

* * *

**_"Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?"_**

* * *

**So there you have it :)**

**Let me know what you think, I love all critiques or suggestions.**

**Thanks guys,**

**Octavia**

**xx**


	3. Chapter 3 - From one to another

**Hey guys, wow thanks for all the comments and follows didn't think it would get such a response in just 2 chapters. But I'm stoked.**

**Here we go :D **

**Let's give it up for MARCO!**

* * *

**"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still."**

* * *

Marco sat on the edge of the railing and let his eyes droop. Feeling the soft breeze rush through his hair, he savoured the feeling of the sun on his face, wishing for more days were the weather was with them instead of against them. They had just pushed through four days of hurricanes and tsunami like weather to slip into flat open water with the sun bearing down on them. It gave the rest of the crew a reason to put a smile on their faces and a chance to lay in the sun without a care in the world.

He could hear his brothers below him already starting the celebrations for the night. They always managed to celebrate the smallest successes in life, and surviving that storm was more than just a small success.

It was the life of a pirate, you never know what's going to happen next, you never knew what was around the next corner, was it money, life or death? But that was the thrill of it that was the way you know you were still alive.

He felt himself start to nod off before a distinct sound forced his eyes open and scanned the horizons. Pulling out his telescope he saw a ship in the distance and the evidence of cannon fire. Following the blast he let his head turn and what he saw made him question everything he had ever seen or heard of.

There standing in the middle of the ocean were four kids.

Standing.

Four kids.

Standing.

He pulled the glass away from his face and blinked a few times before looking back again to check to see if he was going mad or not. And there they were standing on top of the water, no float, no nothing holding them up above the water's surface, just them.

"Pops!" he called out in urgency. His voice signalled for all the celebrations to halt and to come to attention. He felt the surface beneath his feet tremble as his Pops flanked him. He passed the telescope over to him and let him discover it for himself.

"Thatch," Pops called out and the commander was quick to make his way to flank his other side. Whitebeard pointed towards the group.

"No fucken way, are they actually standing on water?" Thatch pulled back and looked at the both of them for clarification.

Marco took back the telescope and followed the movements.

"Pops, that flag." He looked back at his Pops and could see that single vein start to rise under his skin; "They're slavers."

"Rescue the kids. Burn the ship." With their orders Marco and Thatch looked at each other before bounding over the railing and landed in the middle of the rest of their brothers who were armed and ready, all thoughts of partying was long forgotten.

"I'll grab the kids, Thatch, take a boat, Izo, Namur, Jozu cover us. The rest of you prepare a vessel to aboard the ship. Rescue any prisoners, and destroy anyone else on board. Whitebeard's Pirates do not take kindly to Slavers." Marco ordered and saw each of his brothers' fury rise when he announced their enemy.

Every single person aboard the Moby Dick had a mutual hatred of slavers. Anyone or anything that was associated with slavers was to be destroyed immediately, no questions asked and no second chances.

Marco watched as his brothers threw themselves overboard and into the small dingy below them, while Namur jumped straight into the water. With a quick nod from his Pops he spread his wings and let the fire within him take over.

The wind pushed him fast through the air and towards the small group. His eyes set on the redheaded girl in the centre of the makeshift battle, from the way she moved and the way her arms flew out protectively. He could tell it was her who was allowing them to defy all logic.

He watched as she calculated every moment she made to avoid the fires of cannons and bullets upon them, he winced as a bullet pierced one of the boys shoulder. Keeping his head down he pushed his wings harder trying to get to them before any of them got hit in a more fatal area.

As he closed the distance his heart pounded as he saw the wave of cannons heading straight towards the group. His heart pounded in his chest and he could feel the animal inside him roar, he wasn't going to make it.

He flew faster and faster praying that he could make it. He watched as the girls shield went up and down a thousand times before it stayed. He watched as it deflected a few before it vanished. He could see her strength fade as it reappeared but not without effort, it wasn't nearly as strong as the one previously.

He watched in horror as they were all thrown backwards. And then another wave hit. Their screams filled the air as they were each launched into the air separating a great distance. He raced for the redhead first, she was a fruit user. He caught her in his arms and then dived quickly for another. He scooped up a young boy and managed to hold him in his clawed feet.

He looked back down on the water's surface and could see the other two bobbing at the surface of the water while trying to dodge the incoming assaults from above.

They weren't fruit users.

From beneath the surface he could see Namur heading straight for them. He'd get to them quicker than Thatch would with the boat.

"I've got them Marco!" he looked behind him and could see Thatch only a small distance away. The two boys that were in the water were now hanging onto Namur and being dragged quickly through the water. As they got to the boat, Jozu plucked the kids from the water and back onto dry land.

"Back to the ship!" Marco ordered and turned towards the Moby Dick, hoping that the medical team were prepped and ready. Looking down at the girl in his arms he wondered exactly what she had been through to look so fragile.

"You're safe now," he whispered before entering the air above the ship.

As Marco landed on the deck he was quickly swarmed with the medical team. He placed the girl down first on the stretcher they laid before him and the shocked reactions caused him to fault.

"She's not breathing…"

"Pulse is dropping…"

"Get a tube ready…"

He gently placed the unconscious boy next to her and another group moved him accessing him thoroughly.

"Few lacerations…"

"Potential infections…"

"Breathing is normal…"

"Luffy!" Ace screamed out when he climbed over the railing of their rescue ship. He saw his brother lying there not moving. He ran towards him but a set of hands restrained him.

"He's fine." The man spoke; "Just knocked out."

"Let me go!" Ace screamed. But then his eyes dropped to the other person not moving.

"Flick!" he thrashed in the man's arms but he couldn't escape.

"She's crashing! We need to operate now."

"FLICK!" Ace screamed.

"Enough brat, let the doctors help her." A man stepped in front of him and blocked his eye sight of the two.

"But-"

"Ace," he turned his head and saw his brother being carried over the ledge.

"Sabo!" He was released and he ran to his brother who was being laid down on the deck, one hand clutching his shoulder. Ace ran to his brother and knelt down beside his chest beating the doctors and nurses there, before they could take him away too.

"Where's Luffy and Flick?" Sabo groaned.

"They took them, she wasn't breathing Sabo." Ace whimpered and fell to his hands and knees.

"Sabo…" Ace looked up and saw his brother's eyes closed.

"SABO!" he screamed and put his hands onto his brother's chest and tried to shake him awake.

"He's lost too much blood." A nurse ran forwards and pushed him aside.

Ace fell back and landed on the deck with a thud. He couldn't feel his pain anymore, only the pain of his brothers. He sat there and watched as a group of people lifted Sabo onto a stretcher and ran with him somewhere below deck; shouting things that he couldn't understand. His hand reached out towards his brother and watched as he disappeared.

He sat on the deck of the ship, not able to move, not able to hear anything anymore. His hand clenched in the front of his shirt squeezing at his chest, it was the only pain he could feel now. His heart was throwing stabbings jolts all through his body.

_They weren't breathing…_

_They were dying…_

_It was his fault…_

_Luffy…_

_Sabo…_

_Flick…_

_It's all his fault…_

_It's all his fault…_

_He wasn't strong enough to protect them…_

Suddenly he was picked up and forced to sit on a barrel. His chin was forced to look up and he saw the man who had stopped him before, the man who blocked his path from his brothers. But this man was no ordinary man, he was a giant. A Captain he never thought he'd ever meet.

"Calm your breathing brat; you're having a panic attack." He spoke softly; "My doctors are some of the best in the entire world. They will do everything they can for the girl."

Ace listened to the instructions and let his eyes close.

"The boys will be fine, the young one doesn't seem to be injured at all just needs a bit of food and water and he'll be fine."

"My brothers," Ace whispered correcting the captain.

"Your brothers are safe now, you all are." The Captain sat down in a huge chair and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Why are you helping us," he whispered unsure of the words that left his mouth.

"Because you need it."

"That's not an answer!" Ace snapped as tears rolled down his cheeks not caring now about who saw him cry.

"Why would the Whitebeard pirates help out a bunch of kids?" Ace stood on the barrel and faced the captain himself. He was prepared for some kind of retaliation but all he received was a hearty laugh.

"I like you brat." Whitebeard placed his large hand on top of the boys head and effectively pushed him back down on his butt; "You know who we are, I'm impressed."

"You'd have to be a moron to not figure out who you were. I mean a flying phoenix, a fish man and a giant for a Captain." Ace glared at them, he was not to taken a fool; "So tell me, why save us?" Ace asked again calming himself.

"You hear me clear boy, we are the Whitebeard Pirates. We do what we want, when we want. But there are two rules when someone boards my ship. Never hurt your nakama and destroy anything and everything to do with slavers." Ace flinched at the venom in the man's voice.

"Thank you," Ace let his head bow in respect. He understood now, the only reason they were saved was not because of who they were, but who had captured them. It was just pure chance that they were sailing by. But regardless they could have let them float in the water, or dropped them off at the nearest island. They didn't have to drag them aboard their ship. Unless they wanted something from them…

"Plus that little girl has a mighty unique talent." Whitebeard laughed at the sudden look of fury he received from the boy.

"No," Ace growled still looking at his hands.

"What was that boy?" Whitebeard mused causing his head to snap up and meet the captain's eyes.

"She will not be touched, do you hear me. No one will ever touch her again, or take her away. I don't care who you are or how tough your crew is. She is free now, do you understand me?" Ace glared at the man. After everything that she had done for him and for his brothers, there wasn't a thing in the world that could repay what he owed to her now. She had saved them all at the cost of her own pain.

"I knew I liked you brat." Whitebeard laughed and clamped him on the head again and ruffled his hair. Ace growled and pushed him away. This man wasn't taking him seriously.

"I'm not fucking around. I will kill any man who touches her!" Ace snarled searching around for anything he could use as a weapon. If it was a fight that they wanted, he was going to give it to them.

"You're quite the big brother." Ace froze at his words.

"Damn right I am." He spoke proudly. He would protect Flick now, just like he would protect his brothers. She was one of them now; "And no one tou-"

"Yeah, yeah brat, who do you think we are? Not a single man on this ship would dare hurt a brat, especially a girl. She's on the safest ship in the world." Whitebeard grinned at him but Ace still wasn't convinced.

"You're a fool if you ever believe you are truly safe." Ace spat.

"You are right there brat. But this is as close as you'll ever get."

* * *

Marco stood at the edge of the ship taking in absolutely everything. The boy, Ace, was something else. The way he spoke and the fierce loyalty he had towards his friends was amazing for a kid so young. He saw a lot of himself in the kid, and that's what scared him the most, what had happened to those kids to make them grow up so quickly. He didn't look a day older than fourteen and here he was threating the strongest man alive.

He looked at Pops and he could tell right away that he would be protecting those kids with his life. He didn't need to hear their back stories or understand why the slaver's had chosen them, it didn't matter to him. Pops had a very unique way of telling if a person was good or not, and whether or not the person deserved to be saved.

And by the way he laughed and patted the boy; he was sure that they would be placed under the sole protection of the Whitebeard Pirates soon enough. And then nothing would hurt them, they would be free to live their lives in the safety of one of their islands.

"Commander," Marco looked up and saw Crystal standing before him holding onto a clipboard.

"I have an update on the children's conditions from Doctor Lia." She handed him the clipboard and bowed before moving back below deck.

He flicked through the pages and he felt his rage building up as his eyes read over the numerous injuries they all had. They had more injuries that most of the men on the ship had received over their entire lives.

"Pops," Marco stepped forwards and announced his presence. He held out the clipboard and quickly handed it to him watching and waiting for his response to the quick analysis of the brats' conditions.

"What is it?" Ace asked looking back and forth between their faces; "Is it Flick, is she-"

"She's alive." Whitebeard answered causing Ace to sigh in relief.

"How long were you on that ship boy?" Marco asked trying to make sense of what he had just read.

"I'm not sure; we lost count after a few weeks. We couldn't see the sun." Ace answered; to him it felt like months they were aboard that crappy vessel. But for all he knew it could have only been days.

"The girl-"

"Flick, her names Flick." Ace snapped, glaring at him as he spoke.

"Flick then," Marco rolled his eyes; "Some of her injuries are reported to be month's old, care to explain? Some even dating back a few years." he questioned.

Ace felt a ripple of anger boil inside of him; she had been there for that long, she had been there and suffered all of what they had alone. She had been there for months and she could have saved herself, but instead she saved Luffy and caused more pain for herself. She got hurt so many more times because of them.

"We met her on the ship," Ace whispered; "Me and my brothers met her there."

Marco's eyes widened in surprise. A minute ago he was claiming his absolute devotion to the girl but here he tells them they only met a few weeks ago. He glanced at Pops and it seemed their both shared the same reaction. This boy was definitely something else.

"She's the reason Luffy wasn't hurt." Ace spoke not looking at them. He was too ashamed of himself, he had to rely on a girl, who had been tortured for months to save his brothers, to save them all. While he did nothing.

"My brothers?" He asked looking back at Whitebeard.

"The young one?" Whitebeard spoke waiting for a name.

"Luffy."

"He is fine. As I thought he needs food and water and lots of rest." Ace sighed in relief. Luffy was their little brother, they vowed to protect him. They were never going to let anything else happen to him while they were around.

"Sabo?"

"He'll be fine too, given time. He lost a bit of blood due to the bullet wound, and his injuries are much like yours. They will heal over time. But for now it's your turn to see the doctor."

Ace had no chance to object as he was lead down the stairs and towards the infirmary, on one hand he kept repeating over and over that he was fine that he didn't need a doctor. But then the Phoenix guy let him know he would be in the same room as his brother's and he shut up quickly, too anxious to see how they were doing.

When he entered the room he was stunned. His feet slowed as he looked at his two brothers occupying the huge beds, cords and wires were running from machines off the wall to their arms. Both of them were asleep, or at least he hoped that they were.

"Over here kid," Marco led him towards the spare bed next to Luffy and he quickly jumped up and faced his brother.

"He's sleeping. I have given him a light sedative to help him rest and the fluids are there to help him regain some of the vitamins he's been lacking." Ace turned to see a doctor behind him.

"He'll be okay?" Ace asked again. The doctor placed her hand on his shoulder and turned him away from his brother.

"He will be fine."

Ace kept quiet as the doctor stripped him of his clothes and began cleaning his wounds and shortly enough he was told to lay down and then he too was given a bag of liquid and a needle in his arm. And slowly he joined his brothers in the darkness of his dreams.

* * *

Marco stood in front of Pops along with the other Commanders. Each of his brothers shared the same look of rage on their faces, some showed it in their clenched fists and others in the loud cries of outrage. They were horrified with the medical report Pops had read to them.

"And the ship, what is left of it?" Pops asked directing to Thatch.

"The place was – it was horrible Pops. They were kept in cages, tiny metal cages, they would have barely been able to stand up. There were barely any bathroom facilities and the entire place smelt of rot and blood. The room that they were tortured in, that shit was wrong. Never seen a ship like that in all my years." Thatch stood up from his seat and placed a crate in front of Pops.

"We found these, they're kids sizing's so I assumed they belonged to them." Looking down he could see an array of clothes, hats and other small things the kids probably had on them when they were first taken. Was that a pipe?

"Any other survivors?" Marco asked intrigued.

"No, there was no one else aboard. But by the looks of it there must have been others, but escaped, probably around the same time the brats did. At least a dozen of their men were found dead in a hallway. Not something a child would be able to do," Thatch spoke hoping that whoever else was aboard that ship made it off their alive.

They all sat there in silence and watched as Pops read through the report once more before placing it on the table in front of him. He picked up a straw hat from the box and looked at it.

"Looks oddly familiar?" Pops spoke and Marco felt a small bit of recognition hit.

"I wonder how they got a hold of something like that?" Marco mused. He now couldn't wait till the brats woke up and got that side of the story. What were a bunch of kids doing with a Straw-hat that looked oddly like the one Akagami no Shanks wears? Maybe there was more to their stories than they had first believed.

"One commander will take responsibility for one brat, they will see to it that they receive everything they need and will report anything and everything directly to me, no matter how big or small. Until we find out exactly why these children were hunted, they will be officially under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates." Pops stood up and earned a series of nods from his brothers, himself included. He knew it was only a matter of time before he took that road. Pops always did have a soft spot for children in trouble.

Thatch groaned walking towards the infirmary with his brothers beside him.

"Izo come on, trade with me?" he looked to his cross-dressing brother and earned a slap on the back of the head.

"No, Pops gave us a brat each for a reason." Izo smirked knowing exactly why he was complaining.

"But she's a girl, you dress like a girl. You two would be perfect together." He tried to reason but earned another slap from Marco.

"Enough, you will look after that girl or so help me I will tell Pops and you will be on laundry and bathroom duties for a month." Marco snapped in and immediately shut him down. Thatch groaned again, he wanted the older brat. Someone he could relate too, not the girl.

Marco wasn't overall surprised that Pops had allocated him to oversee Ace's recovery. After all the kid reminded him of himself, there was no doubt that Pops had seen the resemblance too. Plus he seemed to be the leader of the pack, it would only be fitting.

As they entered the room they were each a little shocked to see three unconscious boys, each bandaged from head to toe, like mummies. It just showed them again how much damage they had received, all except the little one.

Izo walked towards the smallest one and pulled up a seat at the end of his bed. Looking down at his charge he couldn't help but smile at the youngest of them all, a smile on his face and snoring snot bubbles out of his nose. He looked at peace, which would normally be something next to impossible for the trauma they had all been through.

Namur had been quite the entire walk down to the infirmary; he wasn't too fazed with which brat he got, it was more the fact that he actually got one to begin with. He walked further in the room and looked down at the blonde boy he had pulled out of the water. He had a nasty gunshot wound to the shoulder and a series of what he could only assume were whip marks all over his back. Kid had been through hell.

Sighing he mimicked Izo's position and took a seat next to the bed. He was probably the most shocked when Pops had announced that he would be looking after Sabo. The room silenced and Pops was quick to dismiss his objections. It wasn't that he didn't want to look out for the kid, it was for the kid's sake not his. He was a fish-man plain and simple. He was feared and degraded amongst the human world, he didn't want the first vision Sabo saw waking up was him. He didn't want to frighten the poor boy more than he probably would be already.

"Where's the girl?" Thatch asked looking around not seeing the fourth member.

"She's still in surgery." Marco added nodding towards the sterile ward.

That room was a place that no one on the ship ever wanted to go. Many of his crew had gone in there and hadn't returned the same, or at all in same cases. Only the severe life threatening cases went in there.

Without saying another word he pulled up a chair and sat at the nurse's empty desk. He guessed he would be waiting for a while to see his charge. And then a wave of guilt hit him, as much as he had wished to trade his charge for someone else, he hoped that he would at least see her come out of that room alive.

Marco sat down beside Ace and looked over his injuries. From the report it said that he had a range of old and new brakes, and fractures that painted an overall horrible upbringing for the kid. There was no wonder as to why he was so mature and realistic for a kid, to simple put it he wasn't a kid anymore. Just like him, they both didn't have much of a childhood. He wondered where his parents were.

* * *

Sabo felt his entire body feel numb as he came too. Before even attempting to open his eyes he listened to the sounds around him trying to remember exactly what had happened. The room he was in wasn't overly quiet, there were no voices but there were sounds. Several solid beeps were heard rhythmically through the room and he wondered where they were coming from.

The last thing he remembered was being out on the ocean surface. Running.

Slowly he opened his eyes and he was blinded by the white room and the fluorescent light beaming down at him. Groaning his hands moved to his face and he could feel something sticking on his nose. Quickly pulling at the tube he felt a warm hand on his wrists stopping him.

"It's oxygen, leave it in." He looked at the man and his eyes widened. For it wasn't a man per say it was a fish man.

"I'll just go and get the nurse," he went to stand but Sabo quickly grabbed at his webbed hand.

"Wait," he watched as the fish-man sat back down in the seat next to his bed. Looking around the room he could tell he was in some sort of infirmary, and with the confirmation of a nurse, he was sure that he had been seen by a doctor.

"You're the one that saved me," Sabo spoke clearly trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder and he sat up.

"I was, amongst my brothers." The fish man answered not looking entirely sure about his comment. Sabo shook his head.

"No I saw them, the cannons I mean. They were coming straight for Ace and me. You saved us, you risked your life for us." Sabo looked at the man, remembering exactly what had happened. He remembered it vividly; they were all thrown backwards from Flick's shield. He could see Ace close by but he lost sight of the others. And then the next wave came, there wasn't any way they would be able to dodge them. He remembered the look of horror on his brother's face as the incoming attack was intimate. There was no way they could have survived that attack.

"Thank you," Sabo bowed his head as much as he could without hurting himself.

"Enough brat, I was just following my orders. Don't turn it into something it's not." Namur grumbled at the kid. He didn't need some kid following him around with some idealist vision of him saving his life. What's done is done, he would have done the same for any of the men on this ship.

"Thank you anyway." Sabo smiled.

Slowly looking around he noticed his brothers both laying in similar beds on next to him. Luffy was the closest and then Ace. They were both still asleep. He looked around and saw no signs of Flick, she wasn't in any of the beds.

"Where's Flick?" he asked quickly feeling the rise in his heart rate.

_She wasn't breathing, Sabo._

_She wasn't breathing, Sabo._

She couldn't be…

"Relax kid, she's just gotten out of surgery. Docs said she will be fine." Sabo sighed in relief and felt his entire body relax. They were all safe. They were all alive.

"I should probably go and get the nurse now," Sabo nodded and watched as the fish man left his side and out of the room. He reminded himself to ask for his name the next time he returned. It was only polite to use the name of the man who had saved him and his brother's lives.

"How are you feeling?" a blonde lady walked in dressed all in white, he only assumed that this was the nurse that was sent for him.

"Fine," he answered quickly. He was alive and that was all that mattered.

"Don't you fine me mister. Now tell me the truth. Where are you hurting?" She snapped back and pointed her finger at him like he was in trouble. Gulping he looked over to his brother's and then to the exit.

"Now don't you even think about moving from that bed. You were shot, starved and beaten. What kind of nurse would I be if I let you hurt yourself before you were healed? Now stop being silly and tell me where it's hurting." The nurse moved closer to him as her voice grew louder and more threatening. On instincts alone he pushed himself backwards putting as much distance between them.

"Lia." Namur warned.

His movement caused the nurse to stop. Her hand slowly moved to her mouth and her eyes softened.

"Fuck; shit; I mean. I'm sorry kid," she whispered taking a small step closer; "Please, understand I will not hurt you. I would never hurt a child, ever. Please don't be afraid." She smiled softly and sat at the very end of his bed.

His eyes ran over the woman and firmly judged her words.

"I'm not a child." That was all he could think of to say. He felt like hitting himself in the forehead for the very Ace like remark. He was meant to be the smart one of the group.

The lady giggled which caused his face to redden.

"My name's Lia, you're Sabo." She held out her hand to him and he flinched away preparing for the strike. But it never came. Looking back he noticed the smile on the lady's face slowly started to fall.

"Hello," Sabo whispered and hesitantly shook her hand with his good one.

"See now we're friends." She beamed at him. He thought she was crazy, or bipolar one or the other.

"So Sabo, may I ask you a few questions?" she spoke flicking through the pages on her clipboard. He nodded, but he would only answer the ones he was comfortable with.

After a few passes on his behalf Lia seemed to understand that the past and family histories were a no go for him. Steering away from those topics she kept it to the recent events. How much they had eaten, did they give them any medicine or shots, did they get sick.

"Thank you Sabo, I will send word to the chefs to start preparing a meal plan for you and your brothers. We have to get your vitamins and other nutrients back up to a normal level." She smiled and stood up from his bed.

"That really isn't necessary, we can provide for ourselves." Sabo responded politely they didn't need to owe these people more than they already had.

"Oh hush child, don't go pulling none of that crap with me. I will send for your food and you will eat it. Do I make myself clear?" she spoke which caused him to instantly agree with her. Evil Lia was back.

"Good, now lay back down you need your rest." She smiled kindly and then disappeared.

Sabo laid down and felt the confusion hit him. One second she was caring and the next she was bossy and scary. Looking over to his brothers a smile finally broke through. They were all safe.

"Scary ain't she," Sabo looked at the fish man and nodded.

"I'm Namur…"

* * *

**"The defects and faults of the mind are like wounds in the body; after all imaginable care has been taken to heal them up, still there will be a scar left behind"**

* * *

**So what did you think? they are finally on board with the Whitebeard Pirates :)**

**Let the fun times begin :)**


	4. Chapter 4 - Scars

**_Hey guys, thank you to everyone who has reviewed and to the others who gave me little bits of advice thanks. Here's the next chapter hope you like._**

* * *

_**"A simple child. That lightly draws its breath. And feels its life in every limb. What should it know of death?"**_

* * *

_You no good piece of trash…_

_You should never have been born…_

_You're a freak of nature…_

_Why don't you just die…_

Octavia winced feeling her head spin. Out of all the punishments she had received, she never felt this bad before. Sighing she let her head fall to the side but froze. She had expected the cold metal of her cage to hit her face, but there wasn't any.

That's when she realised she wasn't laying on the cold metal floor of her cage, but on something soft and warm. Her hands slowly moved to her face and she felt her cheeks and her nose, there was no sign of the cold piece of metal.

Her eyes flashed open and suddenly everything came rushing back to her.

Tatsumi and Trai helping them escape.

The sewers.

The cannon balls

The sniper.

Ace.

Sabo.

Luffy.

Looking down she could feel her leg ache from where the bullet pierced her skin.

She remembered trying to get her shield up, to protect them all. She remembered getting hit, and falling. And then nothing. She thought she died. There was no way she could have gotten out of that situation alone.

She could feel the familiar motions of the room around her moving, she was back on a ship. But the question was which ship was she aboard now and who exactly were the people who picked her up. Were the boys here too? If so where were they?

Slowly pushing herself up; she could see a bunch of wires running from the wall behind her into her arm. Blood was pumping in along with a clear liquid. Turning her head she could see the machine working beside her, and she watched as the faint green line rose and the machine beeped each time in rhythm with her heart.

Her eyes searched around the room and then stopped when she saw someone looking back at her. Her heart started to race in her chest as she stared back at a young red haired girl. She watched in fascination as the girl opposite her mimicked her every move that she made, she tilted her head and the girl copied. Her hand lifted and fell upon her sunken face. She could feel her cheekbones pressing through her skin, like never before. This girl looked sick, she looked as though she was knocking on death's door.

Pulling herself onto her knees she moved closer to this girl. But this wasn't just any girl.

This was her.

This was what she looked like now.

Broken.

Scared.

She stared into the mirror and saw something she never would have believed was her.

Long gone was the young chubby girl that was still waiting to grow out of her younger years. There was no bounce in her hair as it lay flat and lifeless down her back. There was no red tinge to her cheeks as she stared brightly at another, there wasn't any sign of the girl that she remembered staring back.

The dark deep red colour of her hair that her mother was so proud of was now nothing more than a dull grey. This was not the same girl from all those years ago.

They destroyed that girl.

Looking down at her own arms she could see her entire body covered in bandages, but what she wanted most was see herself beneath the material. She wanted to see the damage that all those years had done to her, she wanted to see what the body of a monster looked like now.

Slowly she tugged on the knot holding the bandages in place around her wrist and unwound them from her arms. Piece after piece and layer after layer revealed the truth of her skin. She had to hold back her tears as the bright red angry lines started to appear. Some were old some were new, but one thing she did know, they were there to stay. She could make out the feint white lines that glistened beneath the new scars.

Twisting around on the bed she prepared herself for the worst. Her hand clamped around her mouth as she took in the sight before her. Dark, angry red scars crisscrossed all over her back. There were so many she could barely tell where one started and the other ended. Just like her arms but ten times more frequent. Quickly turning back around she banished the view of her scarred back.

A sudden grunt caused her head to snap around. Her entire body halted as she saw a man sitting in the corner fast asleep. Her guard. She looked over him and noticed the sword that was strapped to his belt. He was tall from the looks of it, and strong, the muscles under his shirt bulged out in places making his white shirt tighten in areas.

But he was dressed entirely too well for some mere guard. He was someone higher up. Someone strong and respected. Someone she would not be able to beat.

She wiped her face clear of all traces of tears and prepared herself. She wasn't going to start off by showing these people weakness. She would never let that happen again. She was strong. She was a fighter. She was a survivor.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed she groaned at the movement. The skin around her calve tightened and stretched against the stitches they had placed. She was sore all over and her chest hurt more than ever; making it harder for her to breath. Her hand went to her face and felt two small tubes tucked under her nose. Pulling on them, they came free and she could hear the whistle of air that was released from the plugs.

_"No."_

And then everything froze.

_Luffy…_

Her eyes widened at the scream, at the familiar scream.

"What the hell?" she looked over at the man who was woken up from the noise; "Hey, you're awake," he finally looked at her and her blood rose. Looking down at her arm she gripped at the cords and yanked them out of her arm with a quick pull.

"What are you doing!"

"No help me!"

Looking back up, she heard the scream from the room over, flood through her door. She could hear her heart monitor going nuts as she ripped the small stickers off her chest. The man was moving towards her quickly and she quickly flickered out of the bed and to the door.

Pain radiated through her body as she landed, she fell sideways and clung to the door for support, while her other hand clutched at her aching chest. They had done something to her.

"What the fuck…"

Ignoring the man she pushed open the door. She had to find the others. She had to stop whatever it was they were doing to Luffy.

"No stop, please don't."

"Ace help me!"

Looking up she could see Luffy laying in the middle of the room with strange people all around him. Ace was being held back by some man and she felt her blood boil.

They were restraining Ace.

They were hurting Luffy.

Appearing in the middle of the room she pushed her palms out and forced the blonde man behind Ace to fling backwards and into the wall.

"Flick!" Ace called recognising her. Instantly she turned and aimed towards the people crowding around Luffy as he screamed and thrashed around in their grasp. Her eyes locked especially onto the woman holding a needle in her hands.

Each of the strangers were thrown backwards against her shield and she flickered to kneel on Luffy's bed. Ace was next to her instantly and she threw her shield up protecting the three of them. Searching around, she looked for the fourth member of their little group.

Sabo was gone.

They got Sabo.

"Luffy wake up," Ace shook Luffy and quickly the screams turned into sobs; "It's okay it's me."

"Ace, Flick." Luffy whimpered and threw his arms around Ace's middle and buried his face into his shirt. Glancing over her shoulder she looked over the boy and was glad to see there were no new marks on him.

"Calm down it's alright." The guard from her room stepped forwards but she pulsed at her shield. Warning them not to come closer. The man froze on his spot and his eyes widened in surprise. He glanced down to the others in the room that were slowly getting back to their feet, some of them were clutching certain parts of their bodies from where they had landed.

She looked to the side and quickly grabbed Ace's shoulder. He snapped to her and she instantly pointed to the third empty bed.

Ace felt his entire body still. He woke up to the sound of Luffy's screams, it didn't even click to him to where Sabo was…

He knew he should never have trusted those pirates.

Pirates like them lie.

They took his brother.

"Where's Sabo! Where's our brother." Ace yelled; "What have you done to him!"

"You're brother's fine." Marco stepped forwards with his hands raised in surrender.

"Bullshit where is he!" Ace screamed going into the offensive.

"He's fine Ace. We promised you, we would not hurt any of you. Remember what Pops told you." Marco stepped forwards again trying to calm everyone down. He could see the panic in their eyes. Ace looked betrayed, which Marco could completely understand, he woke up to his little brother screaming and his other brother missing.

He looked at the redhead who had now proven to everyone that she is the one who was able to walk on water, but to teleport as well. That was a new surprise for them all. But then he saw the blood fall from her nose, she was overexerting herself. And she had just come out of surgery and she was still fighting back. Who exactly were these kids?

"Flick your nose," Ace whispered his concerns; but she shook her head. They weren't safe yet; "Lu grab on," Ace spoke and instantly he felt his brother wrap his arms around his neck.

"We're not going to hurt you," another man stepped forwards, she thought it was a man, he raised his hands in surrender. But all she could see was the guns strapped to his belt. She felt Ace's arm wrap around her waist ready for her to move.

"What the hell is going on!" All heads turned to the door as a large blue man walked in.

"Sabo!" Ace screamed seeing his brother walk in. Quickly the man placed his hand on Sabo's shoulder holding him where he stood.

"Flick," Luffy whimpered at the scene he didn't like seeing his brother with a stranger. All these people were strangers, they were big and tall and he didn't like it. He clutched onto his brother tighter, and buried his face into his back hoping that the vision before him would disappear.

Octavia looked over at Luffy and then to the main door, without a second thought she threw out another wave, and as soon as the man's hand was off Sabo's shoulder, she wrapped her shield around him. Stopping the man from grabbing him.

"What the hell!" the fish man yelled trying to grab at Sabo as she lifted him off the ground.

"Flick!" Sabo squeaked freaking out a little now that he was floating in the air and heading towards them.

Octavia felt her head start to spin and her vision grew blurry. Black spots blurred her vision and she felt herself stumble, an arm was quickly wrapped around her, holding her steady. She glanced back up at Ace who hadn't take his eyes off the enemies.

As soon as Sabo was safely in her protestation she released him; dropping him into their shield. Once the pressure was off she felt her senses return if only by a fraction.

"Flick, you can release it. It's okay." Sabo knelt in front of her but she shook her head. They weren't safe here.

"What did they do to you!" Ace demanded looking at Sabo.

"Nothing, they didn't hurt me. They fed me." Sabo pleaded with them; "They're not going to hurt us."

"Sabo's safe?" Luffy whispered from behind Ace's back still clinging onto his neck.

"Yeah Lu, we all are." Sabo gently placed his hands on Flick's and carefully pulled them down.

"No," she whimpered barely enough for Sabo to hear.

"Trust me, they won't hurt us." Sabo watched as the last bit of strength she had was used and the shield vanished and she fell into Sabo's awaiting arms.

"Are you hurt?" Lia appeared first but Ace quickly jumped in front of them and moved into a defensive crouch.

"Stay back." He growled.

"Ace, she's fine. She's a nurse." Sabo spoke placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I just want to see if she's okay. She almost died remember." The lady glared back at him just as equally as his own. But then it hit him. Flick had almost died. And now she was here, alive.

Nodding he stepped aside but still kept his eyes on the other men in the room.

"Weapon's outside now." Ace barked eyeing off every sharp knives, guns and blades before them. He looked directly at Marco and watched as he pulled the weapon from his belt and handed it to the other man. And then he passed them to the fishman at the door who placed them outside and closed the door behind him.

"Ace, we're not going to hurt you." Marco stepped forwards but stopped when he heard a growl come from the boy. Sighing he lifted his hands in defeat and sat back down on the chair at the edge of the wall.

Ace eyed each of them and watched as they followed the commander's lead and all sat down far enough away from the crowded bed.

"She needs to go back into her room." Lia stood up after assessing the damage the girl had done to herself; "She's reopened the stitches in her leg, and took off all her bandages."

"No." Three boys snapped which caused her to roll her eyes. She was used to difficult patients, hell she worked on a pirate ship with a bunch of men. Men were the worst patience after doctors themselves. They were big babies.

"She needs blood and careful monitoring. She will be going back into her own room and that is final." Lia crossed her arms and stared down at the children. They would not get the best of her. This was her ward and they were her patience.

"She is not going anywhere that I cannot see her. Do you understand me?" Ace stood tall and faced off the scary woman.

"I agree. She will not be leaving our sights." Sabo took Ace's flank.

"Yeah," Luffy crossed his arms over his chest just like his brothers and looked at the woman.

Octavia was still trying to catch her breath as she watched the boys surround her. As soon as she was told she would have to go back to that room she felt her body stiffen. Her hand grabbed at the first thing and it happened to be Ace's hand. He looked at her and smiled before facing off the strangers.

"Fine, but-" Marco spoke and caught the attention of everyone in the room.

"You will do exactly what Lia or anyone of us tells you to do. We are only trying to help you brats and if we tell you to eat, you will eat. We tell you to bath, you will bath and if we tell you to sleep, you sleep. We will agree to keep all of our weapons outside and you can stay in the same room where you can see each other." He spoke directly to Ace who seemed to take the lead of the negotiations.

"Remember what I said earlier Phoenix. That goes for my brother's as well." Ace looked at him and he hid back the smile. He remembered perfectly well the little declaration the boy screamed at Pops.

"Understood. Now do we have an agreement?" Marco asked and got a nod from the leader of the wolves.

"For now." Ace spoke not trusting the man to keep up his end of the agreement. If he saw one weapon enter the room all hell was going to break loose. And he would be in constant eyes sight and reach of his siblings, and that included Flick.

"Alright you guys out. I need to reassess the damage. Thatch, bring in the other bed." Lia sighed not happy that she had not gotten her way. Marco was sure going to hear from her later on that night.

Octavia sat there in the middle of the bed with Ace standing beside her and Sabo and Luffy sitting behind her. The lady tried to get them to move away but they refused, they didn't even give the lady a response just a growl and a sneer.

She watched as the nurse reapplied the bandages that she had removed earlier.

Ace's eyes never stopped moving. He watched the nurse as she worked on Flick. It was hard for him not to wince as he looked over her body. When they were in their cages it was always dark and gloomy, but out here in the florescent lighting, he could see her more clearly now. He could see the evidence of all the years of torture she had truly been through.

He knew now that what Marco had told him was correct, she had been there a lot longer than they had. She had been hurt a lot more than what they had. Guilt welled in the bottom of his stomach and he vowed to protect this girl for the rest of his life. He would repay her with anything and everything she would want.

* * *

Octavia was confused all the time; maybe it wasn't even confusion, she felt overwhelmed by the staggering amount of emotions that plagued her every day. She feared the sounds of the doors opening, she feared the constant new faces that entered their small space. The only upside was, listening to the conversations of the brothers, she even enjoyed listening to the giant man who looked after her.

But she was scared, she was scared all the time.

The last week was exhausting; Luffy trusted these pirates way too quickly for her liking, even Sabo's small amount of trust bothered her.

But Ace was different; was like her, he was on guard every second. As soon as someone entered the room, Ace was sitting up straight along with her. Their eyes always followed everyone's movements as soon as they entered their space. They watched their hands carefully and Ace questioned everything that they were doing. Nothing happened to any of them without him knowing exactly what it did and why it helped.

Soon enough Lia, the head nurse, caught onto what they were going and now she gave out her explanation before he could ask.

Octavia always had her shield ready to throw over Luffy at the earliest possible moment. She didn't like having the closest bed to the door, and neither did the others. They had voiced their complaints as soon as the bed placements had been arranged. But with one quick comment from Marco they knew that they had no other options.

It was this or being separated.

But with these arrangements, she didn't sleep.

The nights were the worse, not only for her but for the others. Luffy's nightmares had seemed to get worse the longer they were kept below deck. She could hear Sabo's and Ace's restless sleeps as well, but hers worried her the most. Every night she woke up and she lived her nightmares for just a few more seconds until she remembered where she was.

She would only have to look over at the others to remember that they were alright. They were weren't on that ship any longer. But that didn't stop the worrying of where they were now. She didn't trust that they were completely safe, as much as they were being reassure they were, she couldn't trust these people not to do anything when they dropped their guard. Maybe that was their sick plan, wait until they gained their trust and then they would strike.

Many times she had woken from her nightmares and instantly threw her shield around Luffy, which forced the others to wake in a fright.

Every time she threw her shield around to protect Luffy, it caused him to remember his brothers being dragged off to be tortured. This ended with either Ace of Sabo calming down Luffy for a few hours. This seemed to be their new cycle, their horrible, exhausting cycle.

"ACE!" a scream brought her out of her own nightmare and she threw her shield around the one who screamed. She scrambled to her feet and searched around the room for the threat. But like all the other nights there was nothing.

Sitting down she felt her body weaken even quicker than when we she aboard the slavers ship.

"Flick." She felt her bed dip and she noticed Sabo sitting next to her; "You okay?" he whispered and leant back against her pillow. She nodded and felt Sabo's hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her down to lay next to him.

"Sleep, I'll watch over us for a while. I'll wake you if someone comes." She felt his arm wrap around her and her cheek pressed against his shoulder. She trusted Sabo to watch over them, he had proven that enough back in the cages. He would always wake her when someone entered.

After the first night when he had done this she had gotten a small burst of sleep, but now knowing that he was watching over her she slept for a whole night. She trusted the boys now; they had proven to her countless times that they were loyal. She knew that were loyal to each other without a fault, but it seemed now that included her as well.

Sabo sighed and looked at his brothers. Luffy had finally quieted down enough for him to lay down and mimic the position him and Flick were now in. Ace held onto their little brother and spoke the calming words they had spoken every night.

As the night went on Sabo looked over and noticed that Luffy and Flick were now fast asleep. Sighing he looked up at Ace who seemed to be thinking the same thing as him.

"What are we going to do?" he whispered to his brother hoping he would have an answer to their sleepless nights.

"We swap beds." Ace answered as if it was the simplest thing.

"It's doing none of us any good. One of us will take Flick's bed, she and Luffy will stay in the middle ones." Sabo nodded liking the plan now all they had to do was convince Lia and the other commanders.

"She doesn't need the blood anymore, and the fluid crap they put in us can be done at any bed. They won't have anything else to complain about." Ace added with a small smirk on his face.

Sabo looked down at Flick as she started to move around in distress.

"It's alright, you're safe." He whispered at her and he felt relief when his voice seemed to calm her.

"What happens later?" Ace whispered. Looking up Sabo felt his heart sink. He had only seen that look on his brother's face once before and that was back in the slavers ship when they thought they were doomed to be slaves for the rest of their lives.

"I don't know Ace," he whispered to his brother. In truth he was scared about their futures. What was going to happen to them once they were thrown off the pirate ship? Where were they going to live? Where were they going to be safe?

"What about your grandpa?" he asked but Ace just scoffed.

"He's the reason we got stolen in the first place. He doesn't give two shits about where we are as long as we're out of his hair." Ace sighed already running through their options.

They both lay there and watched as their sleeping companions slept peacefully for the first time in the last few weeks.

"Don't laugh Shanks…" Ace looked down at a smiling Luffy and suddenly a plan came to his mind. "It's not funny…"

"Shanks!" Ace smiled looking back up at Sabo.

"Would he actually take us in?" Sabo asked feeling a spike of hope.

"Luffy definitely; us I'm not sure, I've never actually met the guy. But from what Luffy told me he was honourable. I can trust that he would find us a safe place even for a little while. I hope." Ace mumbled the last part.

"Luffy will be safe though…" Sabo spoke the same thing they were both thinking. As long as Luffy was safe than that was all that mattered. The two off them, three including Flick could make do on their own.

"Luffy would be safe," Ace whispered burying his face into Luffy's hair.

* * *

Marco stood outside the door and was completely ambushed with information he had stumbled upon, he wasn't one for listening in on another's conversation, but when he heard the small scream from the youngest he was instantly involved. He knew that it had been a difficult week for the brats, and it seemed they even started to recognise it as well.

Looking down at the box in his hands, the straw-hat stared up at him with new resolution.

So this was the infamous Straw Hat that once belonged to Red haired Shanks. But whatever the connection between Shanks and the littlest brat was, it was obviously strong enough for the brats to believe that he would cross the world to collect them, and for Shanks to give up his prize possession.

With a quick knock he announced his presence and entered the small infirmary. Two sets of eyes stared at him sharply and he could see the way they both tightened their grip around the other's occupying their beds. If Lia saw them like this she would have an aneurism, she was always very clear about her orders and that the infirmary was her domain.

"My division found these aboard the ship you were kept on, are they yours?" He placed the box at the end of the first bed making sure to keep his distance trying not to scare them further. He looked at Ace and slowly backed away and sat down at his usual perch.

Ace's eyes widened at the sight of a familiar hat poking out at the top of the box. Without even thinking he launched himself off the bed and pulled the box to his lap.

"LUFFY!" he laughed pulling the straw hat from the top.

"Ace?" a small tired voice spoke and he turned and showed Luffy the salvaged item.

"HAT!" Luffy stretched his arms out and pulled the hat from Ace and snapped it back into his chest squeezing the life out of it. Marco felt his insides turn at the vision of seeing that boys arms stretch out that way, he couldn't imagine a time when he would be used to it, like the others were.

"I thought I lost you," Luffy spoke down to the hat as though it was alive.

"Sabo," Ace laughed and threw the awaiting boy his blue top hat.

"Thank you," Sabo spoke looking at Marco.

"Anytime brats," Marco smiled at the genuine happiness radiating off the kids.

"Flick this yours?" Ace looked in the box and found something that did not belong to his brothers. He pulled out a long leather cord and on the end of it was a silver stone. Ace wasn't one for valuables, but the stone in his hand screamed money.

He looked at the girl whose face was in complete shock, her hands gripped onto Sabo's tightly and he responded by holding her firmly.

Ace jumped off the end of his bed and walked towards the two. Sliding onto the bed next to them he held out the necklace. Her hands shook as she took the necklace and brought it up to her eyes.

She never thought she would see her necklace again. It was the only thing she had left of her mother's, the last thing she had to remember her father with and the place she was born.

"It's pretty," Luffy appeared completing their small circle on her bed and looked wide eyed at the gem.

"Mama," her voice whispered longingly.

Sabo and Ace froze at the sound of her voice and quickly glanced at the other man in the room.

Marco's eyes were opened wide in surprise but he quickly masked it pretending as though he hadn't just heard the mute girl speak. Ace looked back at Flick but she didn't seem to notice her slip up, she was too immersed in her thoughts and memories.

Sabo glared at the man and hoped he understood his warning. He was not to speak a word of what he just heard. They would not pressure Flick to talk. He received a small nod from the commander and he hoped that he understood.

"I will arrange for your bed transfers tomorrow. For now, get some sleep. I will see you all in the morning." Marco spoke and rose from his chair.

"Thank you bird man!" Luffy shouted and waved from his spot.

"Thank you again, Commander Marco." Sabo spoke politely not only for the hats but for the way he was trying to build their trust.

He wasn't an idiot, he knew what the man was doing and he would be a fool if he didn't admit it was working. First the agreement to keep weapons outside, then keeping Flick in their eyes sights at all times and now today the return of their stolen belongings and the new sleeping arrangements.

Sabo was confused.

In the beginning he assumed it was them trying to build their trust to get something out of them, but now it seemed like it was more than that. They didn't need to return their belongings, or even alter their beds; but they did.

And that confused him the most.

Did he trust them, or should they trust them.

He would wait to see what they wanted in return.

Surely soon enough one of them will come to them with a demand. And they would be ready for whatever it was.

"Sabo?"

He snapped from his thoughts and saw his lightest brother staring up at him with a smile he hadn't seen in a very long time.

"Happy you found your hat again?" he asked and watched his smile get even wider if that were possible.

"Yep," he grinned and then yawned falling forwards.

"Alright bedtime," Sabo laughed and pulled him towards his chest. There was no way he would be separating them tonight. And that ended with the four of them huddled together on Flick's bed all wrapped around each other.

* * *

**_"The past is our definition. We may strive with good reason to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it. But we will escape it only by adding something better to it."_**

* * *

**So what do you think? **

**Couldn't have Luffy not wearing his famous straw hat ;)**

**And now they know about Shanks. :)**

**Let me know what you think.**

**Thanks**

**Octavia xx**


	5. Chapter 5 - Seal it with Sake

**Hey everyone, thank you for your kind reviews and comments. They brighten up my day :)**

**Surprised to see so many people already following my story - to think its only my dribs and drabs that I thought only I would like. **

**Thanks again :)**

* * *

**_"Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed."_**

* * *

Marco sat opposite his Pops with the rest of the commanders seated at the table. It had been a week since the discovery in the infirmary and now each commander was giving their weekly report on their charges and sadly they hadn't gotten far with the brats, Luffy seemed to be the only one who was opening up to them, but a quick word from one of his brothers and he would back track.

"You mean she can speak?" Thatch yelled out at him wondering why he had been kept in the dark about this little tidbit of information about his own charge for over a week.

"Yes, I believe that she speaks regularly to the boys, but she didn't realise I was there when she spoke. I think being reunited with her mother's necklace was enough to make her forget that I was in the room. It seemed that the others however know of her hesitance to speak out loud and I got quite the warning from Sabo."

"They're very protective of each other, amazingly so." Namur added his thoughts onto the table.

"Agreed, the way they revolve around each other. We don't know yet to what extent, what they had all been through on that ship. But we can honestly say that it was enough to force these four to completely break away from any form of contact with anyone, they trust no one." Thatch spoke rubbing the back of his neck. His history with slavers was not a good one, and this, only added to the hatred he felt for those kinds of people.

"Except Shanks," Marco added with a small growl. They all heard what Marco had discovered and now it was quite the mystery to all of them. How could a kid, no older than eight, be friends with one of the most notorious pirates in the seas?

"Lia dear, how is their health doing?" Pops added gesturing to the only none commander at the table.

"Better, their vitals have all evened out which is good. However, their malnourishment will take a little longer to get back to a point where I am satisfied. The boys I believe will be able to take on small exercises to build up their muscles again and their energy levels. But Flick, she's far from ready." Lia sighed thinking back to the girls slow progress.

"How is she?" Thatch spoke, concern written all over his face.

"She's… she's not sleeping, she barely eats and her heartrate is through the roof all the time. She is absolutely terrified. I'm not sure how long her body can handle this amount of pressure. She needs more sleep and needs to keep down more of her food; she's throwing up half of everything. I'm afraid that if things don't improve in the next few days, I will be forced to induce her sleep and implant a feeding tube." Lia heard the groans of all the men surrounding her.

"It's that bad?" Thatch whispered looking at her pleadingly.

"Yes, that poor girl has been sent to hell and back. I'm afraid if we don't get her stabilized soon, her health issues will become permanent; or worse." Thatch nodded understanding. From the moment he was ordered to look out for the only girl he wasn't too pleased, but now he understood why Pops gave her to him.

"Do we tell her the risks? Maybe that will encourage her to at least eat. I mean I get the nightmares keeping her awake, and the new arrangements have her sleeping a little longer…" Thatch spat out quickly.

Everyone looked to Pops for the answer and he nodded.

"Make sure the other brats are there with her, they have a very strong influence on her." With the final command Thatch stood up and quickly made his way to the infirmary.

Entering with his signature knock he sat down on the end of Flick's bed. For the last few weeks he had managed to sit closer to the girl without her shield being thrown out to protect Luffy or herself, and with his signature knock she barely threw it out anymore.

"What's up Sunshine?" he smirked at her small glare. Every time he addressed her he gave her a new nickname. When the boys had confirmed that Flick, was indeed a nickname she was given on the ship, he was determined to find out her true name by weaning out any name he could think of.

Flick was currently looking through a book of islands that he had given to her as a kind of peace offering. As soon as he opened it and put it on her lap he knew he had scored a few points with her, her eyes widened in amazement and she has barely put it down. He wasn't sure if she could actually read the words printed on the pages, or if it was just the images that she was amazed by.

"Can we talk kiddo?" Thatch asked and he received a hesitant nod.

"Yo boys get over here," he called out and the boys quickly moved themselves to sit side by side next surrounding Flick.

"Alright wolf pack we gotta talk about something serious." Thatch tried to hide his smirk at the name he had given the four of them.

"What's going on?" Ace asked as the alpha of the group.

"It's about Flick-"

"You're not taking her anywhere!" Thatch rolled his eyes.

"Calm down runt that's not what's happening. Now sit down and shut your trap." Thatch rolled his eyes at the Alpha's glare.

"Now I promised to never lie to you guys remember." He received four simple nods.

"So, I just came from a meeting with Pops and the others and well to make it simple; Flick your health is worrying."

Octavia looked up at the man who she had slowly begun to trust. He never lied to her and always told her what was going on outside of the room, whether it was good or bad he told them everything.

She looked down at her hands and saw Sabo's hand fall on top of one while Ace grabbed the other.

"Flick's still sick?" Luffy asked innocently.

"Afraid so little buddy, but we can help her get better. Together." Thatch smiled at the boy.

"How?" Sabo asked the question they were all dying to know the answer to.

"Well to start with you need to eat more Tiny, and try and sleep more. Which means boy's, you're on watch duty okay." Thatch wasn't too pleased knowing that one of them was normally awake at all hours of the night, and it usually fell on Flick, Ace or Sabo. And he could understand why they did it, he just didn't like it. But now she was off the guard duty.

She kept her head down and tried to hold back her emotions. She had tried to sleep, she really had. But every time she closed her eyes she was plagued with her memories. She could almost hear the sounds of her own screams and the others around it, she could almost smell the scent of the blood that circulated the small room she was kept in.

"Flick," she lifted her head to Thatch.

"I know your scared Kiddo, hell I'd be shitting myself too in your situation. But Lia said it's making you sick. I don't know how I can help you, or how to convince you that you're safe here. I guess it's something that only time can change. But for now, I'll make sure your visits are to a minimum and I'll limit it to the people who you know. Would that help?" he asked pleading to her.

"Thank you Mister Thatch." Sabo smiled at the big man.

"Anytime, runts." He winked at the four; "So take a nap all of you, and I'll go fetch you some food."

"Wait!" Ace called out as the man stood in the doorway; "Can you get us some sake?"

"Sake…I'm sorry what?" Thatch laughed; "You're like four years too early kid."

"One cup, that's all we need." Ace pleaded.

"Alright, but if Lia or Marco find's out; It's your fault right?" Thatch laughed and waved goodbye to the kids and headed towards the kitchen.

"Sake?" Octavia whispered after making sure that Thatch had completely left out of ear shot.

"Yep, you'll see when we get it." Ace grinned at her causing a small blush to reach her cheeks.

"Flick," she looked over to the youngest boy who had lost his smile.

"You're still sick?" Luffy crawled forwards and crawled into her lap like he did every time he was sad and needed comfort from someone other than his brothers.

"I'm okay Lu," she whispered adopting his nickname and wrapped her arms around his stomach pulling him close to her chest.

"Nap time?" Luffy yawned and buried his face into her neck.

"Yes," Sabo moved closer and lay down on her pillow and dragged the others down with him.

Laughing the four of them curled together and fell asleep.

* * *

_How dare you speak you filthy little runt…_

_Scream one more time and I'll cut out your tongue…_

_Scream girlie…_

"Flick, wake up."

Octavia flung herself forwards and two hands braced her shoulders preventing her from flying off the bed and to the corner of the room.

"Let me go!" her voice waved as hands held her.

"It's me Sabo, you're okay; I've got you." She fell against Sabo's chest and her hands gripped onto his arms as she felt her heart beat hard and fast against her ribcage.

"I'm sorry," she apologised for waking him up again for the second time that night. After the first time she awoke screaming, Sabo had joined her on her bed after she had woken the room with her first night terror of the night.

She glanced over to the other beds and saw Ace looking at her with concern in his eyes but Luffy, thank the gods was still fast asleep. With the help of Sabo she lay back down beside him and felt her breathing start to match his.

"You okay?" Sabo spoke as she clung to him.

"Fine," she whispered burying her face into his shoulder taking in a deep breath and letting his calming scent wash over her.

"Hey," she looked over her shoulder and saw Ace at the side of her bed. Without hesitation she lifted the blanket and he crawled in beside her. This seemed to be their nightly ritual of late.

"What was it about this time?" Ace wrapped an arm around her stomach holding her protectively.

She shook her head and tried to close her eyes but a quick shove from Ace broke her out.

"Come on, you need to talk about it." Ace spoke firmly.

"It will help, promise." Sabo added a little softer.

"Can't," she whimpered.

Ace looked at Sabo trying to communicate without using words. Ace knew that her nightmares were getting worse and even more frequent. And if what Thatch had told them about her health, they all knew that something would happen if she didn't get better. Something that none of them wanted to happen.

So this was their last resort; try to get her to open up to them. If they knew what triggered the memories or even what scared her the most they would stop it. They would fight away her nightmares with her.

"What's your real name?" Sabo whispered so softly that Ace wasn't even sure he heard him properly.

"I don't have one. He took it," her voice stayed flat as she spoke.

"No one can take your name Flick, no matter who they are." Ace retorted trying to hide his anger. Sabo was much better at dealing with these kinds of situations; unlike himself he just got angry at everything and everyone that had hurt her.

"The man that hurt you, he can never do that anymore. He has no control over you anymore." Sabo spoke the words that Ace would never be able to find.

"What did your mother call you?" he tried again going about it in a different way. Ace thought about giving Sabo not only the doctor's role in their group but also the therapist role as well.

"Octavia," she whispered and her hand clutched the gem that dangled around her neck.

"Octavia," Ace smiled at his brother as they both spoke her name for the first time.

"Suit's you Flick," he smiled as he heard a small giggle come from the girl in his arms.

"The man; is he the same guy who made you afraid to talk?" Sabo asked trying to get more information from her. They both felt the small bob of her head as it fell back onto Sabo's shoulder.

"He would hurt me, if I spoke." She whimpered trying to force back the nightmare that she had just had; "With his belt; when I screamed. He hurt me more." She shivered through the fear but clutched onto the boys tighter; "Always his belt."

Ace stored that piece of information away for later. None of his brothers or himself would ever wear a belt again, not that a rope cord was classed as a belt. But they would make sure that Flick would never be reminded of those times, around them.

"I like your voice." Ace added not entirely sure what to say or how to respond to that in a positive way. In truth he would have like to demand the man's name and storm directly to the captain's room and order a man hunt for the man's head.

"Same, you should speak more. Even if it's just around us." Sabo added wanting her to open up just a little bit more. He knew he was asking a lot from her, especially seeing as they have only known each other for a few months now. But to him they were family.

"I'll try," she smiled.

Silence flooded the room and Sabo knew that he had asked enough questions from her for one night. He would have to get her to open up over time; he knew that pressuring her to spill all her secrets in one go would only end up bad for all of them. They would lose her trust instantly and they would never be able to get it back.

For kids like them, any people like them. Once the trust was lost; it was next to impossible to ever get it back fully. And he would never do that to Flick, neither of his brothers would force her to do anything, even if it meant her only speaking to them for the rest of their lives they would accept it. As long as she was happy and safe that's all they cared about.

"We'll always be here for you Flick, you know that right." Sabo spoke firmly and with a hint of desperation in his voice. They both waited for a response but they were met with silence.

"We won't let anyone hurt you again. You're one of us Flick, and we protect our own." Ace left her no room for arguments.

"Alright," she whispered and Ace was pleased to hear a bit of happiness in her voice. Well he thought that's what he heard.

"And as soon as Thatch sneaks us some sake, we can make it official." Sabo added with a knowing smirk.

"I still don't see how," she laughed.

"You'll see." Sabo teased.

"No fair." All eyes looked up and smiled. Standing at the end of the bed; stood a tired looking Luffy rubbing his eyes and clutching his straw hat like a teddy bear.

"Come here," Octavia lifted the covers and instantly felt Luffy's weight hit her side. Tucking him under her arm she curled him in between her chest and Sabo's.

"G'night," Luffy yawned and fell instantly back to sleep.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight Octavia," both Ace and Sabo spoke with a little too much pride in their voices.

* * *

Trust was a fickle thing.

Sabo was growing to trust the limited group that were allowed access to them, and it was scaring him. He was starting to feel happy, starting to feel like he belonged with these people; with his brothers and sister. He started to enjoy the small conversations with the commanders, especially Namur's love for navigation and literature.

The last few days had gone by well, he was glad to see that getting Octavia to talk to them was the best thing for her, because since then she had slept a lot. And by a lot he meant almost every hour of the day she spent curled up in one of the middle beds sleeping peacefully.

On a few occasions she would wake up or be woken up by himself or Ace from one of her nightmares but every day they were getting less and less frequent.

The only thing that truly concerned them all now was her eating. She slept most of the day which caused her to skip meals, and Lia thought it was alright as long as she was either eating or sleeping; two of the most important things she needed right now. But so long as when she did wake up she would eat.

But then it was the struggle to convince her to eat. Every meal she would take a few bites out of it and then a few minutes later she would throw most of it back up. She was barely getting half the food she should of. It was to a point now that she almost refused to take that first bite.

It scared them all.

Thatch stayed by her side all the time. Speaking to her, giving her new books to look through or even telling her stories of their pirate adventures. Sabo didn't mind that Thatch was taking on the big brother role that should have been his and Ace's. But someone older and someone with influence in their surroundings made it all that much easier.

It was the middle of the night when they all were awoken with the room light being turned on and an excited looking Thatch with his back to the door.

"I've got it," he whispered excitedly while holding up a bottle of something.

"Yes," Ace was the first one to get out of his bed pulling a sleeping Luffy with him and sat down on top of Octavia's bed. Sabo followed quickly and completed the circle just as Luffy stirred.

"Thanks Thatch." Ace smiled wider than Luffy as he was handed the bottle.

Octavia stared in wonder. It had been days since the mention of sake and she was still way too curious to know what significance it had on the boys. For every time it was mentioned they would all grin from ear to ear.

"Yeah thanks Thatch," Sabo added.

All three boys looked at the man and then glanced back at the door.

"Oh but I wanna see what happens," the man grumbled but they could tell that he wasn't really upset. He knew why they wanted him to leave, not because they didn't trust the one man, but because Octavia would not speak around another. And for this she needed to be able to be comfortable and speak her mind.

"Fine, but one day I will find out. And don't you go getting drunk. One glass remember, or Lia and Marco and Pops, hell, everyone on board will have me castrated." He shivered.

"What's castrated?" Luffy asked innocently with a small tilt of his head.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Thatch mumbled quickly. He waved goodbye and fled from the room before Luffy could pester him more about the terminology.

"Can we do it now?" Luffy asked fully awake and staring at the cups.

"Yes, we can do it now Lu." Sabo smirked holding out the one cup for Ace to pour into.

Octavia watched in complete fascination as the remaining three cups were placed aside and only one was filled.

"When two people have a drink together, they are immediately friends." Ace spoke and took a sip from the cup and handed it to Luffy with a nod for him to continue.

"When you drink from the same cup, that makes you family." Luffy looked to Ace for confirmation of the lines he spoke and quickly took a sip and handed it to Sabo.

"And as a family we live to protect each other, no matter what." Sabo drank and handed it to her. She stared down at the liquid in her hands not sure what she was meant to do.

"You're one of us," Luffy said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"We may not have the same blood, but we share the same bonds. We are a family and we protect our family. Octavia you are now a part of our family. If you want…" Ace murmured the last part. Inside he was freaking out; hoping that he hadn't just assumed that she would want to be a part of them. What if she wanted to go home, what if there were people waiting for her…

They never asked.

They only assumed.

"You want me to be your family?" she whispered still looking down at the initiation drink.

"Yes," all three boys spoke proudly with no hesitation.

"Don't you want to be in our family?" Luffy looked up at her and then to his brothers not really understanding what was going on. He couldn't figure out why she wasn't drinking.

"I do," Octavia whispered.

"Then drink it and you will be," Luffy beamed. She looked at the young boy. He made it sounds so easy; so simple. By drinking from that cup she was bound to the other three for the rest of their lives. They would be a family; just like that.

"Okay," she smiled and lifted the cup to her mouth. Three sets of eyes watched as if it were in slow motion; as she closed her eyes and drank the last bit in the cup.

"Oh that's gross." She swallowed the liquid but her face showed her dislike for the taste.

"We only drink it when we're all together." Sabo laughed taking the cup from her.

"I have a sister!" Luffy screamed and tackled Octavia backwards against her pillows laughing.

"And I have a little brother," she whispered patting his hat covered head.

Octavia didn't know how to feel in this moment, she was happy, excited, scared, nervous, there were just too many emotions running through her she didn't know what to say. So she held her new brother in her arms and closed her eyes.

"Wait, who's Octavia?" Luffy asked while the others laughed.

* * *

"Hey Squirt," Octavia lifted her head from her pillow with effort to see who had entered the room. With a small groan she lowered her head back down and closed her eyes. She shouldn't have even been surprised at who called out to her, there was only one person who called her by ridiculous nicknames.

"Uh uh, none of that. Time to eat." She buried her face deeper into her pillow and pulled the blankets over her head trying to shield herself. She didn't want to eat; she just wanted to sleep.

"Flick," she heard a warning from Sabo and she sighed. "Come on." And suddenly her blanket protection disappeared. Sabo sat next to her with his signature toothless grin plastered on his face. This was cheating in her books.

"Food, food, food, food…" Luffy chanted over and over again.

"We all gotta eat, remember the deal." Ace reminded her from the opposite bed taking two bowls off Thatch's small tray. Sabo grabbed two bowls and placed one in her hands. Looking down at the clear brownish liquid she grimaced. It was the same soup as the other day.

The same soup that she threw up for hours afterwards.

"Please just try Button, just one mouthful at a time." Thatch took his usual spot at the end of her bed and pleaded with her. She definitely classed this as cheating.

Lifting the spoon from the centre of the bowl she watched as the liquid pooled in the centre. Without acknowledging the others she lifted it to her mouth and swallowed it quickly. She forced herself to swallow it as her entire body seemed to protest at the intrusion. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced it to stay down.

Sabo looked at Thatch with concern. They could all see the struggle it took for her to eat. And every time she threw up, it made it even harder for them to convince her to eat at all.

Octavia looked back down at her bowl and felt her heart race. She knew it was food; and she knew that she was hungry and that she needed it to survive and to get stronger, but she couldn't keep anything down. She looked over at her brothers and could see the ease they had with eating their meals. None of them had thrown up once since receiving the food. It was only her.

"Few more bite's Kiddo, and then you're done." Thatch spoke and she quickly scooped up another spoonful.

She managed to take four more mouthfuls before she was reaching for the bucket. Thatch moved to her side quickly and pulled back her hair as she emptied her lunch. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her throat started to burn.

"You're okay," Sabo rubbed her back soothingly as Thatch took away her bucket.

"No more," she whispered to only her brother. "Please," she begged him as he wrapped his arms around her.

Sabo looked at his brother's concerned faces and then to the other man they trusted. They were all scared.

"Get some rest Little Rabbit, I'll be back soon." Thatch left the room before anyone could stop him.

Thatch was fighting with everything inside of him not to punch a wall. He feared for the little girl. She was getting worse every day. And as every day that passed it was getting more and more likely that she was going to be sedated and fed with a feeding tube.

He needed to get away from that infirmary. He wouldn't let the brats see him like this. They were perceptive as hell and he would not show them how worried he was for her.

"Hey man, wanna go -" he stormed past his friend and headed straight for the training rooms. He had anger he needed to release before he hurt someone by accident.

"Thatch?" he glanced over his shoulder and saw Lyon following him.

"I'm fine." He grunted and pushed open the door to training room three. He was glad to see that the place was completely empty.

"Yeah I can see that," Lyon mocked which only caused his anger to rise. He turned to yell at him when he saw him removing his white jacket.

"Spar or bag?" Lyon asked removing his shoes.

"Bag," Thatch responded. He would never spar with someone when he was this angry. He never wanted to hurt a friend.

It was hours before Thatch collapsed onto his back with sweat pouring down his body and his knuckled were red raw.

"Want to tell me what got you so pissed off?" he turned his head and saw his blonde friend mimicking his position gasping for air.

Lyon was one of his longest and closest friends aboard the Moby Dick. He wasn't a man who ever dealt out a fight, he would only ever raise a weapon to defend himself or someone innocent. That's why he was one of the many chefs aboard the ship. As much as he had begged his friend to join his division he always refused with a smile.

"It's Flick." Thatch groaned sitting up and looking at his friend.

"Still not eating?" Lyon asked.

"The others are fine. They eat more than most men on this ship. But with her, one bite and she's throwing up everything. They'll sedate her soon." He whispered shaking his head.

He felt like a failure. He couldn't help her, he couldn't save her. And now he was going to watch her be put through more torture and it was his fault.

"It's not your fault man." Lyon spoke as if reading his mind, but he shook his head.

"Look, what happened to her and those boys; it's unimaginable. But that doesn't make it your fault. It's their fault. It will always be their fault." He looked at his friend and knew that he wasn't just talking about Flick. There were very few men who knew about his past and Lyon was one of them.

"You will help her. Hell, you are helping her, rumours say that she actually lets you through that guard of hers. That true?"

"I know what you're trying to do." Thatch smirked at his friend.

"Well," Lyon glared back and waited for his answer.

"Yes, she lets me through her guard. So what, I still can't get her body to accept food, can I? So what if she feels the smallest bit of security around me! I still can't protect her from herself! All those fucken years and she's still suffering!" Thatch yelled bringing his fists down onto the slab beneath him.

"Years?" Lyon gasped and looked at him; "I thought it was weeks? Months tops?"

"That's the boys, from what we know she's been abused for years man." Thatch sighed rubbing the back of his neck.

"Son of a bitch. Bring her to me tonight." Lyon stood up with a glare on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Just don't let her eat dinner, bring her to me when everyone's gone to sleep." Thatch could see a plan forming in his friend's eyes but he wasn't overly convinced.

"Man, you know that her food is under strict orders." Thatch spoke.

"Just trust me okay, if this works she will never have a feeding tube." Lyon smiled as he quickly ran out the door.

Thatch just sat there still on the ground confused.

* * *

"Wake up Squirt." Octavia gentle opened her eyes and looked around, confused. Thatch was standing next to her bed only holding a candle in his hands. He held up his finger to his lips and told her to be quiet.

She looked at the others and could see them fast asleep not hearing them. She looked at the man and he quietly pulled off her blanket and held out a hand to her. She looked at it then back at her brothers. They would kill her if she went somewhere out of their eyesight.

"Trust me Turtle, just a little bit." Thatch whispered and she took his hand. She trusted this man. She didn't know why or when it happened but she did.

When they were outside the door she saw him put the candle on the chair outside. The lights were on in the hallways so they didn't need the light from the candle any longer.

A few corridors away she could feel her legs start to wobble and her breathing was shorter. She hadn't moved so much in for ever. Thatch sensed it immediately and stopped.

"Up you go Little Bear." He knelt down in front of her and suddenly she was on his back. Her body froze up at the sudden contact and her arms gripped his shoulders.

"Gotta get your strength back up soon. You're as heavy as twig, Twiggy." He snorted at his lame joke and continued to head through the corridors.

Thatch started to hum softly to himself and she felt herself relax a bit as he carried her into a large room. She'd been on many ships to know that this was the galley. The lines of tables and chairs gave it away.

"I wanted to introduce you to a very good friend of mine Flick," Thatch spoke interrupting her thoughts. Her arms tightened around the man instinctively and he sensed her unease.

"He will not hurt you Flick, he loves kids." He smiled and pushed open one of the metal doors leading into a back room. She was in the kitchen.

"Hey man," Thatch spoke as the metal door swung back and forth until it closed. She looked ahead and could see a tall man sitting at a table writing in a book.

"Hey Thatch, glad you could make it." The man stood up and headed towards them. Her body clenched.

"Hey there Flick, my names Lyon." She looked at the tall man who equalled Thatch's height.

"You're okay," Thatch unhooked her arms from his neck and gently but firmly placed her on the counter.

Octavia panicked at the thought of being left alone with this strange man and grabbed onto Thatch's hand. He looked at her with sympathy but smiled through it.

"I ain't leaving ya Angel," he grabbed a chair and sat down in front of her still not letting go of her hand.

"I'm sorry that this is scaring you," she looked back up at Lyon who hadn't moved any closer. Her head tilted and she assessed the man in front of her. He was different to the others, and that made her suspicious. Most people just told her not to be afraid, but this man apologised for scaring her.

"But, I want to try and help you. Would that be alright?" he asked gently. She didn't know how to respond so she looked at Thatch.

"Thatch told me today that you've been kept away for quite a while. A few years maybe?" he asked and she barely nodded.

"Has Thatch told you anything about me?"

"Nah nothing," Thatch smirked.

"Before I met Thatch or Whitebeard. I worked as a chef in my village in the South. We were a small village, we didn't have much in means of medicine and a lot of our people died when sickness hit. So it left a lot of our children as orphans." Lyon spoke of his past that pained him. Like many of the men aboard the ship, their past was their past. It was something that they rarely shared with anyone, especially ones like his.

"At night after I finished my work, I would go to the orphanage and cook for the children. But it was never enough. There were still so many children on the streets and no one to help them. We were not a rich village." He sighed not wanting to recall the end of his story.

"What I'm trying to say, is the children I had come to help. A lot of them hadn't eaten for months at a time sometimes it would have been years since a full decent and healthy meal. And when I found them and fed them, majority of them threw up their food." Octavia looked at the man in shock.

"Well in the beginning they did, until I worked out why. You see Flick, the foods that we become accustomed to, are flavoured with so many herbs and spices that we barely even notice them. That is until we are deprived of them for so long, so when you are reintroduced to those flavours it is almost unbearable. The taste is too strong." Lyon looked at her as he explained.

"May I ask you one question?" she looked at him and then to Thatch who gave her a nod.

"The food that you have been given here, does it taste good?"

Octavia looked at the man in shock. That wasn't the type of question she had been expecting. She looked at Thatch who waited for the answer as well.

"You will not be punished Little Rabbit, we just want to help." Thatch squeezed her hand and she slowly shook her head. It was so hesitant that if Thatch wasn't looking at her he would have missed it.

"I think I can help you. I know it's a lot to ask, and I know you do not trust me in the slightest bit." She looked back at Lyon; "But I would like for you to try some of my food. Would that be alright?"

Octavia shook her head rapidly. She didn't want to eat again. She didn't want to throw up again.

"Please Princess," Thatch stood up and took both her hands. He was desperate. He looked at her and could see the fear in her eyes, and he knew if this didn't work than he would have lost her trust forever. There was no going back on this.

"This is our last chance; please I don't want you to get any worse." She lowered her head in defeat but he saw the small nod. Smiling he looked back at his friend and gave him the go ahead.

"Thank you," he tucked a string of her behind her ear and lifted her chin to meet his eyes.

Octavia moved herself to sit in Thatch's lap as she watched Lyon move around the kitchen. Her hand was still wrapped tightly around Thatch's and she wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon. She was terrified. She listened to the soft humming beneath her and she sat closer to the man than she had ever been.

"Here you go," Lyon turned around with a bowl in his hands. He moved towards her and handed it to Thatch. She appreciated the space the man gave her; she wondered if he knew this on instincts alone or if Thatch had warned him. But either way she was glad.

"Alright Flick," Thatch wrapped his arms around her and placed the bowl in front of her body.

Looking into the bowl she frowned. It looked exactly like all the others she had been forced to eat.

"It's different I promise." Lyon spoke from the other side.

"One bite," Thatch placed the spoon in her hand and she nodded. She could do that.

She lifted the spoon to her mouth and her eyes were shut as she closed her lips around the metal. And then her eyes snapped open. Swallowing, she felt her heart start to race.

"Flick?" Thatch whispered not sure what to take of her reaction. Tears welled in her eyes and for the first time since she could remember she tasted something that resembled food.

"It's okay we can try something else," Thatch rushed out but she quickly stopped his hand with the bowl. She dipped her spook back into the liquid and shoved another spoonful into her mouth.

"You-you like it?" Thatch grinned as she took another spoonful.

"Slow down Flick. You're stomachs still not used to food. Too much to start with can still make you sick." She stopped her fourth spoon in the air and looked at Lyon. Swallowing the last bit she let the spoon fall into the bowl.

Looking at the man who had given her this gift she smiled and lowered her head into a small bow.

"You did it!" Suddenly she was scooped up into Thatch's arms and he twirled them around. A laughed escaped her lips and she clung to the man.

"Lyon," Thatch stopped and looked at his friend. "I don't know what – I mean – Man - Thank you man," he smiled at him.

"As of tomorrow, I'll be in charge of all your food Flick. We will get you better." Lyon spoke to her and a smile worthy of Luffy's spread on her face.

Thatch and Lyon stood in front of Pops with the rest of the commanders surrounding them and a furious Lia.

"And you say she ate it and kept it down." Pops asked again.

"Yes sir, we actually had to stop her from eating more." Lyon laughed knowing that whatever punishment they may have gotten for breaking the rules they would be cleared because of the results they got.

Their plan worked, and for that the little girl would be fine.

"This is a complete outrage! What gave you the right to go against her recovery plan? What if it backfired! Do you understand what could have happened?" Lia shouted pointing and both of them.

Thatch had kept pretty quiet during the whole report but now his back was up.

"Recovery plan? Are you seriously pulling that card. Lyon took one look at her and knew what was wrong. You're the medics how could you not know that her food wasn't right for her." Thatch growled back. If they had picked this up earlier than none of this would have happened.

"Excuse me, my plan was designed, especially around each of those children. There was nothing wrong with the dietary plan I provided." Lia glared back.

"Then why were they all getting the same food huh, they were all on different levels of malnourishment." Lyon stepped in.

"What?" Lia gasped a little taken back.

"This is the food that was requested from the infirmary, yesterday." Lyon shoved the clipboard at her and she quickly flicked through it.

"No this is wrong. This is the boy's plan's, this is the plan for Ace and Sabo." She flipped back and forth through the pages.

"No, this is what all the kids were getting fed. This is what you requested." Lyon snapped.

"This isn't right. I had three plans in place. One for Luffy, one for the two older boys and one for Flick. I took extra care in her meals, I knew her history. Every night I sent it up with-"

"Crystal." She whispered as her eyes thinned and a hard glare was set upon her face. Slamming the clipboard on the table she turned to Pops.

"Excuse me." Lia spoke and stormed out of the room without so much of an argument.

The men all looked at each other and then to Pops. Not a single person had ever left a meeting without permission. Pops was about to say something when there was a loud scream below them.

Lia was furious.

"Marco, please see to Miss Lia. Don't let her kill her apprentices." Pops sighed figuring out what had gone wrong.

"Yes sir," Marco dreaded going down to the infirmary by himself. There were two people in the world that the great Phoenix was afraid of and that was Pops when they were out of Sake and Lia.

"And you two," Thatch looked at his father.

"Lyon you will be in charge of her food from now on as you've requested." Lyon nodded with a small smile on his face.

"Thatch, keep me updated on her progress. When she gains the strength I would like to see her. In the mean time I'd like to see the boys." Pops spoke and the other three commanders in charge of the brats nodded.

* * *

**_"In order to learn the important lessons in life, one must, each day, surmount a fear."_**

* * *

**Well there you have it :)**

**What do you think? **

**Hint for some of those who are anxious, up next we talk about Shanks :)**

**Let me know what you think CC xx**

**Thanks**


	6. Chapter 6 - Regrets and Reunions

**Hey everyone!  
**

**Wow I just wanted to say a massssssive thankyou to those of you who reviewed. My very awesome GUESTS out there no idea who you are but thankyou. Wish I could reply to each of you. **

**Okami you're quickly becoming my fav reviewer :) Love the attachment hahah**

**Bring on SHANKS! and someone else ;)**

* * *

_** "Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live foreve**_r."

* * *

"Hey Pineapple head!" Marco groaned looking at the youngest of the brats. It didn't matter how many times he had corrected the brat he still couldn't get him to call him by his name. Hell, he'd rather go back to when they called him Phoenix, anything was better than this.

"Time to go," he sighed speaking to Ace.

"Alright, Pineapple." Ace smirked using Luffy's nickname. However he only did it to see the little vein on the side of the man's head pop.

"Just move it already." Marco sighed watching as the three brats walked through the door. He took one look at his brother sitting on the bed with Flick and rolled his eyes, with a set of cards in their hands. Thatch was trying, not very hard mind you, to keep himself from laughing and falling off the bed. Slamming the door shut he lead the three brats towards Pops' room.

"You're HUGE!" Luffy gaped, pointing at the man sitting in the chair. He was by far the tallest man that he had ever seen in his entire life. He wondered how tall he really was when he stood up from his chair. He wondered if there was enough room for him to walk straight through a door.

"Luffy, that's rude." Sabo nudged him and he quickly shut his mouth and bowed just like his brother was doing. Makino had been very firm about their manners training.

"So, we're here." Ace crossed his arms over his chest not liking the fact that they had been summoned by this man.

"Ace," Sabo gritted his teeth and punch his arm.

"Fine. Hello, thank you for your care, it's a pleasure to be here." Ace rambled, clearly not meaning anything behind his words. Sabo felt like banging his head on the ground over and over again.

"I must apologise for my brothers' behaviour. Please do not take it out on them, they have not been raised to give others respect, or kindness when it is shown towards them." Sabo smiled at the man who had yet to say a thing, let alone move.

_Please don't kill us, please don't kill us, please don't kill us…_

"Please allow me to thank you all on behalf of my brothers and Flick. I don't know what we would have done without your kindness and generosity." Sabo bowed again hoping that his words would help them forget about Ace's.

Sabo lifted his head up when he heard a hearty laugh coming from the captain.

"There is no need for such formality here brat." Whitebeard commented.

"Still, thank you for everything you have done." Sabo reiterated not sure if this was some form of test.

"Why are you called White-beard, when you have a white moustache?" Luffy asked with all the innocence he had causing Sabo to literally slap his forehead; "Do you not know what a moustache is?"

"I give up, just kill me now," he whispered to himself and he heard a chuckle from the Commander behind them.

"Well brat, it's a secret." Whitebeard whispered causing Luffy's eyes to widen in complete admiration.

"It's a mystery moustache?" Luffy responded in the same hushed tone as the captain which caused the man to laugh out.

"Sure is brat." Luffy grinned up at the man and then looked back and forth to his brothers and back to the new man.

"How old are you? Are you like really old cause you have white hair?" Luffy grinned up at the man. Sabo sat back and could hear the snickers of the others in the room. Luffy no matter where you took him, or whoever he talked to he would get away with murder. And right now Sabo preyed that this was just like all those other times, and they didn't get murdered for his brother's stupidity. Either of his brother's stupidities.

"I'm nine years old, are you over or under a hundred?" Luffy asked not letting the man get a word in. "My grandpa is old and he has white hair too, are you old like him?"

"Luffy enough." Sabo snapped feeling his last vein start to rise on his forehead.

"That's alright brat," Whitebeard laughed loudly and looked down at Luffy who was sitting down in front of his feet. "And how old are your brothers and sister?" Whitebeard asked and Sabo could tell straight away that he would answer without any hesitation.

"Ace and Sabo are twelve, and Flic-"

"What do you want from us?" Ace snapped clearly not wanting his brother to divulge any more information that could be troublesome for all of them.

Marco eyed off each of the children as they stood in front of his Pops. He had just assumed their ages when he had first seen them, but again, he was starting to realise that he shouldn't assume anything about these four brats. They were different from anything he could have ever imagined.

Ace had the power and heart of a man who was in the midst of his life, a man who had seen and felt pain like no other man had. He was the leader of their brotherhood. He kept them safe, he was the only to risk his life to save the others.

Sabo was someone who had seen the world through both eyes, he saw the evil that lurked in the dark corners ready to strike at any given moment, he knew when and what to say to keep themselves alive for just a fraction longer. Whilst Luffy was as innocent as they come, a boy that kept smiling even though the life around him was not one that was considered normal.

Marco believed the only reason Luffy remained naïve and innocent was because of those two boys protecting him. Both physically and mentally. They were the reasons Luffy could still smile and be happy. The reason he had no fear in asking the strongest and most feared man alive all those ridiculous questions. He was still a child.

"Come over here," Whitebeard gestured to the table that was filled with food. The instant the invitation was said, Luffy has disappeared and was already standing on a stool reaching for the biggest piece of meat on the table. It had only been a few days since they were allowed to be on solid food and they each took that as an open invitation to fill themselves to the brim.

Sabo sat next to Luffy while Ace stood at the end of the table staring at Whitebeard.

"Now what?" Ace glared. His youngest brother may have been lured in by the feast of food presented to them, but he wasn't going to be letting his guard down any time soon. It was one thing for them to be forced away from Flick, and now all he wanted to know was why.

"I'm glad to see you're all feeling better." Whitebeard smiled down at the three healthy looking kids. Over the last few weeks they all had made a remarkable recovery.

"Yes thank you," Sabo responded politely. "Miss Lia has been very kind to us all."

"Ask your questions, old man." Ace snapped interrupting this unnerving conversation.

Whitebeard sat up a little straighter and stared at the young boy standing in front of him. He could only remember seeing a young blonde brat stating the same thing all those many years ago. He glanced over to his commander and saw that he too remembered those same words.

"Straight to the point I see." Whitebeard laughed reaching for his drink. Taking a long drink he gasped and looked back down at the boy who had barely moved a muscle.

"Portgas D Ace." Whitebeard announced, watching carefully for the boy's reaction.

"Yeah, and?" Ace kept his face the same, he was very careful not to show the way his heart flew out of his chest at the mere mention of his full name. He was adamant with his brothers that they would only give out their first names. No other information was necessary.

"Monkey D Luffy." Whitebeard called and earned a signature grin from the youngest at the table.

"And Master Shian Sabo." Sabo looked up at the man with a new fear.

"What do you want!" Ace shouted causing his brothers to quickly move to his flanks. Sabo was clear about what was happening, and Luffy could sense that something was wrong so he copied his brother's actions.

"Nothing." Whitebeard laughed and looked at the three defensive kids.

"What?" Sabo whispered not sure he heard him right.

"You heard me brat. I don't want anything from the four of you. I have no intentions of sending you back to the slavers, nor to the marines, or to Garp." Whitebeard watched as three faces turned into pure fear at the mention the admiral's name. That was something he wanted to explore later.

"You won't send us back?" Luffy asked innocently.

"No Luffy, you four are safe here." Luffy grinned up at the captain and eyed off the table of food that called to him.

"Then call Red Haired Shanks." Ace spoke up and ignored his youngest brother's enquires.

"I know Marco overheard our conversation, and I know he reports everything to you. So you know, that we know Shanks. So if you truly do not want anything from us, and you have no intention to kill us or to turn us in, then you would have no problem in calling him." Ace stared at the man and waited. Everything from this point onwards would be decided by then next actions of the captain. He would know if he was lying about not wanting anything from them if he went through with his requests, if he denied them than all hell would break loose. He would grab the nearest weapon, grab his brothers and Flick and escape at the soonest moment.

"You believe that one of the Yonko's would sail to the other side of the sea to come and clam three little brats?" Whitebeard returned the same challenging stare.

"Four," Ace and Sabo corrected, they wouldn't ever be leaving Flick behind.

"Yep," while Luffy beamed at his answer.

"Very well then, Marco please fetch that retched snail."

Ace stared at the man in complete shock and watched as Marco left the room to get the snail. He couldn't believe it. He didn't expect the man to agree with his terms and so easily at that.

"We're really get to speak to Shanks!" Luffy ran over to Whitebeard reaching up and pulling himself to sit on his armrest completely forgetting about the food entirely.

"Sure brat, if this is what you truly want." Whitebeard placed a hand on the boys head and ruffled his dark spiky hair.

"Ace, Sabo; Shanks will come get us." Luffy grinned.

"Here Pops," Marco returned and placed the snail on the table sitting beside Whitebeard's chair.

Three anxious eyes watched as the snail came to life and could hear the tell signs of the connection being made.

_"What the hell you doing callin me old man."_

"Shanks!" Luffy blurted out excitedly before anyone could get one word in. He stared at the snail and waited for his friend's response.

_"Lu-Luffy?_

"Hi Shanks!" Luffy giggled waving at the snail.

_"Luffy, is that really you?" _

"Yup, it's me." He paused for a moment, "Can you come get me Shanks?" Luffy asked still with his smile on his face. There was a long pause in the air and the eyes of the snail turned from shocked to rage.

_"Where are you Luffy? Are you hurt? What has the old bastard done to you!"_

Ace couldn't believe what was happening.

He couldn't believe the old man had actually done what he had promised.

He had told them the truth.

This was Shanks.

The legendary Shanks that Luffy wouldn't stop talking about, ever.

"I'm on a ship somewhere out on the ocean. I'm with real pirates Shanks, and I'm not hurt anymore, the Magic-Moustache-Giant-Old-Guy saved us, he rescued me and my brothers and Flick from- he saved us from the…" Luffy's voice trailed off and he looked down to his brothers as his bottom lip started to quiver.

_"Saved you from what, Luffy?"_

Ace could immediately tell that his younger brother wasn't doing too well. Seeing his small arms wrap around his centre and his head lower, forced him into action.

_'Saved you from what Luffy!' _

Ace reached up from the bottom of the chair and yanked on his foot pulling Luffy from his perch and into his and Sabo's awaiting arms.

"You're okay," Sabo whispered tugging off his hat and running his hands through his hair. "You're safe."

_"Luffy, what do you mean saved you."_

_"Luffy!"_

"Shanks I'm sorry," Luffy babbled and Ace just tightened his grip onto his little brother; "I wasn't strong enough, I'm sorry Shanks, please don't be mad."

_"Luffy, what's going on! Someone answer me!" _

"Shanks, it seems that we should have a conversation about the young ones." Whitebeard spoke seeing the young boy distressed. Ace and Sabo were quick to quieten Luffy's cries and reassure him that they were all safe.

_"What the hell is going on Whitebeard? Why do you have Luffy? Is this some kind of ransom demand?"_

Ace stared at the man as he explained everything that happened. From the moment they were spotted on the ocean's water to the moment they walked into his office that morning. He didn't leave a single thing out. He heard Whitebeard's vow to keep them safe, that he would protect the four of them.

_"Luffy, boys-" _

Ace looked at the snail and could see the seriousness in the thing's eyes.

_"I will come for you. All of you, including Flick. We will come for you." _

"Shanks!" Luffy wailed clutching onto Sabo and his hat at the same time.

"_Stay strong Lu, we'll see each other soon okay bud. And boys," _Ace and Sabo new that this was for them; _"Take care of him. And trust the Whitebeard pirates. They're honourable men who would never go back on their word. I know we have never met, but please trust me. I would never risk Luffy's life."_

"Thank you, Captain Shanks." Sabo spoke.

_'Can't wait to meet you guys." _

* * *

Half way across the world a series of explosions were seen coming from an uninhabited island and a scream of pain was heard across the seas.

* * *

Ace was sitting on his bed starring at Luffy as he bounced around the room. Everything was so surreal; it confused him to no end. Shanks was coming for them, for all of them, including Flick. He knew that Luffy had admired this man as some kind of god, but now he truly understood the honour this man had. He was coming to take them away. All four of them.

He looked over at Sabo who was sitting at the end of his bed who seemed to be thinking the same thing. They were finally going to be safe, they wouldn't have to worry about Luffy being in constant danger, they were going to be with someone who wanted them and who wanted to keep them safe, or at least Luffy and them by proxy. And they would all be together.

Luffy was bouncing around the room telling story after story to Flick about Shanks and the rest of his pirate crew. She watched with a smile on her face and laughed at the right time and commented at others. To Ace though he could see the concern that flashed through her eyes. It was another place with knew people for her to face. She was already starting to feel safe around the Whitebeard pirates but soon that would change.

Three months.

That's how long they had until they would meet.

Apparently they were barely in the grand line and the Red haired pirates were all the way in the new world, a place that none of them had even heard about until that day; The second half of the grand line that made the first half look like child's play. They were going to meet at one of Whitebeard's Islands at the end of the grand line.

Three months…

* * *

Garp stared at the snail that sat on his desk. Its eyes were wide and he could hear the constant bur as it dialled. His fingers wrapped on his wooden desk and the smoke form his cigar blew out in front of his face.

He had called her thousands of times, daily he had called but he never got a response. He knew something was wrong, he could feel it in his gut. That bandit was more scared of him than anything in this world, Dadan would never miss his call, and never miss it more than once. Something was going on and he was starting to panic.

Squishy the remains of his cigars that had burnt down to the butt he lit another and stuck it between his teeth. He was not normally a smoking man, drinking yes, but right in this moment he was still on duty, and this was the only outlet he could have right now without losing all control of himself.

For a three weeks now he had been kept in the dark. After the first week he thought it was just a mistake that something had come up. Then the second week he was sent on a mission, and there was nothing he could do then. But now as it neared the fourth week and no return call, no picks up he was beginning to regret his decision of going on that mission and not returning home like his gut was telling him too.

Slamming his fists onto the table he grabbed his already filled in papers and stormed out of his office. He had weeks of paid leave up his sleeve and he was going to take them immediately. He had to know for himself what was going on back home, he needed to see it; he needed to see them.

"Garp, what is the meaning of this intrusion." Garp ignored the other admirals in the room and headed straight towards Sengoku's desk. He placed the papers in front of the man who had yet to move a muscle.

"Clear the room," Sengoku glanced down at the papers for a second before dismissing everyone. Garp stared at the man, waiting for him to sign his leave so he could start to make the arrangements already. As soon as the door closed Sengoku leant back in his chair and folded his hands under his chin.

"Denied." He spoke clearly which only caused Garp's blood to boil. "You have a mission starting in a few days, you may take all the time you want after it has been completed."

"The mission can wait. This cannot." Garp grunted. "I'm only asking out of a curtesy, I will be leaving at first light." He turned around and headed back towards the door, leaving no room for the man to argue.

"There is no one back there for you Garp."

He froze. Turning slowly around he looked at the man not letting his face give away any of the panic that dwelled inside of him. There's no way he could no. No one in the world knew of the secret he harboured except for a tight, tight circle. And nobody knew about Ace.

"What did you say?" he spoke slowly.

"Demons who bare demons, are not fit to live in this world. I've told you this Garp." Sengoku leant forwards and lifted the papers into his hands. "Like I said, there is no reason for you to return home. You will find nothing there."

"What have you done!" Garp snapped feeling his insides plummet to the ground. His teeth ground together looking at the man who acted as if his words meant nothing, as if they meant nothing to him at all.

"What was needed to be done? They were a threat to the world."

Garp felt his body begin to shake as he stared at the man who just opening admitted to having something to do with his grandsons disappearances. His thoughts ran wild with the images of what could be happening to them this second.

"What did you do!" Instantly Garp was across the room and had Sengoku pinned to the back wall. His hand was wrapped tightly around his throat squeezing it as tight as he would any other pirate under his strength.

"What did I do, what did you do Garp. Harbouring that demon's child from the world after the world wide hunt, and now you hide your very own grandson. They are the sons of demons. They should never have been brought into this world. You brought this on yourself." Garp squeezed tighter but he saw no reaction from his victim.

"They were going to be marines. I was going to prove to the world that they weren't dangerous." He snarled.

"No they were not. Demons cannot be converted to good."

"They're not demons!" He yelled thrusting the man back into the wall. Cracks were forming around them under the pressure of his hold.

"You are too late, the order has been given." Sengoku gasped finally wrapping his hands around Garp's, trying to relieve some of the pressure before his neck was snapped.

"So help me Sengoku," Garp screamed and threw the man across the room and into the opposing wall.

"Watch your step Admiral Garp, harbouring these types of secrets could be considered treason."

He turned and headed back to the door. He needed to find them. He would not stop until his grandkids were safe. Safe from the pirates of the world, and from those in the government that took them for devils. He would keep them safe.

He wanted to know how the man found out about his secret. No matter how drunk he got or how out of place he was, he would never loosen his tongue about those brats. It was his deepest darkest secret and not a soul in the world would find out about them, not from him.

Slamming his office door he sat down in his chair and pulled the snail towards him. He remembered the number off by heart as he plugged it into the snail.

"Garp-san," her panicked voice filled the room and instantly all his fears were confirmed.

"Where are they?" he whispered feeling his defeat wash over him.

"They're gone. Marines came and burnt everything. I searched for them. Garp where are the boys!" her panicked voice rang through the air.

"I don't know Makino." He sighed rubbing his eyes. Those were his grandchildren. He swore that he would protect them.

"Garp-san," Makino whispered. "I've been trying to call you for weeks. But no one would put me through to you. What's going on?" her voice trembled as his fear had passed through the line. They were both clueless as to where their treasured boys were.

"It seems someone has figured out their past. I will find them Makino. I will find them." He spoke softly and he could hear the small sobs of the woman on the other end. She was the mother that his boys had never had. She fed them, loved them, it was more than he could have ever asked for. She loved them just as much as he did.

"Bring them home," she whispered and the line cut out.

Garp spent the next two days speaking with only a small circle of people, the only people he would trust with his grandson's lives. They were honourable men whom would never condemn a child to death for something as simple as his blood. Even if it was the Pirate Kings blood that ran through their veins, or the son of the Dragon himself. They were men who were good through and through, plus they all owed him much more than a few simple favours.

"Admiral Garp." He lifted his head as Aokiji slinked into his office. "This was all I could find." He handed him a thin folder and felt his heart begin to thump loudly in his chest. "I'm sorry Garp." He spoke before leaving the office.

Garp held the folder in his hands as they began to tremble. He didn't want to open it. He didn't want to have Sengoku's threats become a reality. He wanted them to stay as threats and that was it.

Slowly opening the folder he glanced down at a small photo of three smiling brats. Two of them he recognised without fault, but the third was a boy he had only just claimed to be one of his own. The blond noble boy who wanted nothing to do with the life he was forced upon. He had the greatest prospects of being a marine, he knew what was right and what was wrong in the world.

Flicking through the pages he felt his entire heart plummet to the ground. He wanted to be sick.

Report after report.

Confirmation of their capture.

Their travels through the East Blue.

Sold to slavers.

Images of the wreckage.

No survivors.

Burnt beyond recognition.

Suck to the bottom of the sea.

Tears streamed down his face as he read the words over and over again. No Survivors.

His hands crumbled the report in his hands as his tears dropped onto the page and smudged the print. He picked up the only photo he was left with and stared at their smiling faces, two smiling faces and a smirk. His grandsons. The children he vowed to protect with his life.

They were gone.

A roar burst through his lips as his arms swiped at everything in his path. His desk crashed into shards against the side wall. His books were ripped and fell to a heap in the corner. His candles rolled on the ground and flickered out as the force of the wind sucked them dry.

Rage ran through his soul as the visions of his brats plagued his mind. He wanted to destroy the man who leaked his secrets. He wanted to destroy every single one of those marines who stole his brats from their home. He wanted them back. He wanted to hear their laughs, see them smile, hell he'd even settle for hearing about their pirate dreams one more time. He would give anything to have them alive again.

The sun rose and set several times before anyone was brave enough to approach the mourning Admirals Office. News spread like wild fire that his grandson had passed, but the story blamed pirates as the culprits. There was no mention of Ace or of Sabo, they were written out of this world as if they had never existed.

Garp stayed in his destroyed office and didn't move for days. His hands still clutched onto the small photo of his brats. The only thing he had left to show of the existence of the three boys. The only thing that remained in the world of his precious ones. He prayed that Makino had more momentous than he had, he wanted more.

He wanted them back.

The light of the moon ran through his window and showed the length of his leg and the glass and shards that encased around him. The moon seemed to beam directly down on the photo in his fingers and highlight the small liquid drops that lay sitting on the surface of the photo. His tears seemed to never stop coming.

Your children are the ones who are meant to bury you and send you off into the afterlife, he was not the one who was supposed to bury his kids, let alone his grandkids. He could almost feel his own Son's heart breaking at the thought of losing your son. No matter the distance or the lines between you, family is family. He knew that his son loved Luffy more than anything in the entire world, more than his prospects of the future, more than his dream; in fact everything he did was mainly for Luffy and others like him and Ace.

"Sir," slowly lifting his eyes from the photo he saw Bogard standing in the back with his face concealed by the shadows. "We are ready to leave sir." He spoke stepping into the light.

"Leave?" Garp spoke through a grunted voice.

"Yes sir, we leave for Dawn as soon as you give the order."

Garp stared at the man who he considered the most loyal to him. He was one of the very few people who knew almost everything there was about him and his family.

"The crew are awaiting sir." With that Garp pushed off the ground and moved towards his friend.

"Thank you," he whispered stopping just beside him before heading out of the office.

* * *

"Garp-san," he stepped out onto his favourite wooden dock and glanced at the young woman who ran towards him waving a small green handkerchief. Her worry was evident on her face and through her paling skin. Those brats were just as much hers as they were his.

"Makino," he felt her arms wrap around his waist as clung to him. He knew she knew. He could hear it in her sobs as she clutched her hands in his jacket.

"They are in a better place, they can rest now." He whispered the words that he had repeated to himself through their entire voyage.

"It's not fair, they were so young." She whimpered and he wrapped his coat around her and tucked her under his arm.

"I know," he led her back towards the town and to her bar. He wanted to tell her everything and he wanted to know everything that she had seen that day. But in the open where there were ears and eyes everywhere he wasn't going to risk her life.

If there were people other than him, or other marines, who knew about his brats and their bloodline then he would be condemning them to the same fate as his grandchildren. Makino was a sweet and innocent woman, he would never risk one of the only other people he considered treasure in his life. She was the daughter he never had, and she was the mother he would have deemed perfect for any child in this world.

When they got to her bar, one look from him sent the few customers she had running. He closed the door and twisted the small sign around in the window. They were not going to be interrupted at all through the night. He was going to know everything and as was she.

"You must be starved," she whispered with her eyes downcast. She moved quickly to her place behind her bar and started preparing a meal for him. He was about to object when he saw the need in her eyes. She needed to keep busy and not think about what had happened.

"Was there any insignia on the ship?" he asked as she plated up his meal.

"No, standard marine vessel. I didn't recognise anyone." She spoke keeping her eyes on her work. "I ran to docks but I was stopped. There was a fire that was running lose through the forest."

"Have you heard from the bandits?" he asked. "Thank you," he added when she placed a hot meal in front of her. While she opted to a drink only.

"No, I've looked for them all over. Garp what happened?" she finally asked sinking down on an opposite stood.

"They were taken. Sengoku's men were ordered to capture them at any costs, but they weren't told why or who they belonged to." He sighed rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. He had ran through the scenario a thousand times and only one thing seemed to make sense to him.

"It's not confirmed. But I believe that the men who took them uncovered their secrets, or at least were in line with slavers and felt they could get a decent price of three brats." He felt his hands clench around his knife and fork at the thought of slavers having his brats. Especially if Luffy showed his powers, he would have been sold for an immense amount of money. Enough to make any man rich, or even a small crew of marines rich.

"Slavers?" Makino gasped and tear began to run down her cheeks.

"They were taken aboard the Dark Dealers ship. They're a huge underground pirate crew who kidnap and sell anyone and anything to slavers. Their ship was found destroyed a few weeks ago. No one survived."

Makino's cries echoed through the room as she buried her face into her hands. This was the confirmation that she had been dreading for so many days. She wanted good news, she wanted some form of hope that her boys could be returned to her safely. She wanted to see them grow up into the fine young men that they were already. She wanted to see each of them reach their dreams and prove to the world that they were not bad people, that blood defined nothing.

Her eyes drifted over to the photo on the wall of her precious people. Pulling a single photo frame off the wall her fingers ran over Luffy's large smile that was only matched with her favourite pirate captain. Shanks will be heartbroken when he finds out the news.

Her eyes wondered to the other photos that lined her wall of the three children she adored. Their smiles and happiness were captured in every image. They were her boys.

They were hers to see grow up.

A tear ripped through her and she found comfort in the man who was in the same amount of pain as she was. He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry through the pain that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

* * *

Garp clutched at the small bouquet of flowers in his hands. He sat kneeling down in front of three small tomb stones that he had placed in the middle of the jungle. This was their jungle, their place they had called home. Their names were engraved at the tops of the stone with their dates of life on the bottom. The measly amount of days they had be given in this world was not enough.

He could feel the rain begin to thunder down on him as it portrayed how his heart felt. He could hear the quiet roars and growls of the jungle animals that seemed to have circled the small clearing he had dedicated to his boys. Through the trees beyond him he swore he could see a Tiger with a scars all over its body. Its head seemed to be bowed and he could hear the low wine from the great beast.

He listened as Makino spoke of the stories and memories she had encountered with the trio.

Guilt rushed through him as he stared down at the three names. He couldn't protect the three children who he should have protected with his own life. He regretted not giving up his career to give those brats a proper life, to give them the safety that they needed.

He should have been the one to bring them new clothes, not Makino.

He should have been the one to inspire their dreams, not Shanks.

He should have been the one to protect them from the world. He should have saved them.

He failed them.

He failed as their grandparent.

He failed his son.

He failed Roger and Rouge.

Most of all he failed those three innocent brats who had done nothing to deserve the life that had been given.

A loud roar was heard above the clap of thunder and above the rain as it fell down around them. Then another from behind them. Several different animals had gathered here. They knew.

They all knew that the three brats who challenged them every day would not be returning.

The island wept for the loss of his brats.

Ace.

Sabo.

Luffy.

* * *

_**"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity, nothing exceeds the criticisms made of the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed."**_

* * *

**Well that was it, what do you think?**

**Now some of you were querying about Garp, did you want to hate him or love him... You can make up your mind :)**

**Shanks :D love him. **

**Thanks my lovelies xx**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Past and Future

_**Hey everyone! thank you for everyone who reviewed :D Love you xx**_

_**I was so glad to see that majority of people actually like Garp. **_

_**Not much for an intro AN sooo here it is. **_

* * *

**_"Fear has two meanings; Forget everything and Run, or Face everything and Rise. The choice is yours."_**

* * *

Octavia was happy, or at least this is what she thought happiness would truly feel like. She couldn't remember much from the time before she was taken. She could barely remember the sound of her mother's voice or the way she would hum whilst braiding her hair. She could remember smiling but she couldn't remember why, what made her smile all those years ago? Blank memories that's all she had left.

Accept for that one day. The one day that everything changed. She could remember it all, every detail. She thought that was it, that she was going to live the rest of her life alone and scared. But now she found people. People her mother used to talk about.

She was surrounded by very few people, but these people held her trust. They kept her safe, kept her brothers safe and healed them and fed them.

And even Izo had managed to cloth them. She was surprised when the man dressed very nicely walked into the room with arms full of clothing. The four of them were completely ecstatic with the prospect of new clothes. She looked down at her white dress that she had been given and played with the small ribbon that tied around her waist. Izo had even done her hair for her, her long red hair had been neatly brained and swept over her right shoulder. It was how her mother used to dress her, and do her hair.

Every day she waited for the appearance of Thatch and Lyon dragging in a cart stacked full of delicious foods that she devoured right along with her brothers. She could feel her strength return after every meal. And then every night she would venture in the candle light with Thatch into the kitchens whilst everyone was asleep.

Lyon would always be there waiting for them to arrive and then they would cook. Or at least Lyon would cook and he would explain what he was doing and how he was doing it. And then she was given small tasks that would help move along their meal preparations. Tonight they were making a cake.

It was going to be a surprise for her brothers and Whitebeard. She finally felt up to see the Captain that Luffy would not shut up about and she wanted to thank the man. Plus she wanted to see exactly what kind of man was able to change Ace's opinion so much and so quickly, even though he'd never admit it out loud, but she could see how much respect Ace had for the captain and for everyone in their small circle of people.

Before they were dragged off to the Captains office she could already tell it was going to be an interesting event, but when they all came back she didn't expect to hear what she had.

A friend was coming to take them.

Shanks and his crew were coming to get them, and they were Luffy's friend and a powerful crew at that. She heard over and over again how the young boy had met Shanks, and how they had become friends. She respected the man already, he had given up his arm to save her now little brother. She liked this man already.

"Alright Princess, let's make a cake." She grinned from upon Thatch's back as he carried her towards the kitchen. As they entered she could already see Lyon preparing the pots and dishes.

"Good evening Flick." She waved to Lyon, and Thatch placed her down on her usual spot on the counter. She could see the whole kitchen from where she sat, and both the exits. She wasn't sure if it was purely coincidence, or if they had planned it this way, but none the less it made her feel safe.

"Alright, now what do we do first?" Lyon spoke to her with his usual grin on his face.

She turned to her left and twisted off her perch and onto the stool that was placed below her for her to get up and down with ease. She walked over to the sink and climbed onto the stool and washed her hands.

"Excellent, good job Flick."

She made her way back to her spot and waited for the next set of instructions.

For the next hour Lyon spent explaining all the do's and don'ts on making a cake the perfect way. He would give her little tips that he had learnt over the many years and she listened to each and every word that she said. One day she wanted to be able to make stuff on her own, she wanted to be able to remember all the recipes off by heart and be able to make them by the dozens.

"This is where you go!" Her head snapped to the door leading the galley and she saw Ace standing there pointing at her. His eyes were furious.

Her eyes widened as her brother yelled towards her. She scooted off her bench and rushed towards him.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was, waking up and you weren't there!" Ace grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him, his eyes ran over her arms and legs checking to make sure that she was okay; "I thought something happened to you!" He spoke through his panic. She had never seen Ace this way before, he looked terrified. She placed her hands on top of his and stopped their assessment over her body.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to worry you guys. Lyon was teaching me how to…" Her eyes froze and her heart pounded her in her chest.

_Say that again girlie…_

_Want another beating you little shit…_

_I dare you to scream…_

"Flick?" Ace knew something was wrong the moment she froze. He could feel the air around them start to grow thick, it was always the same feeling when her shield was thrown out.

_Scream girlie, let me hear you scream…_

"I'm sorry," her voice whimpered as her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"You didn't do anything wrong," he placed his hands on her shoulders as she trembled. He knew this had turned more than just her nightly lessons, this was more than that.

_You're just asking for another punishment aren't you…_

"I'll be good. I promise."

"Flick, you're safe. No one is going to hurt you." Ace panicked and placed his hands on her cheeks trying to get her eyes to focus on him. He knew what was going through her mind; hell he'd seen it almost every night.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Ace glanced over his shoulder and saw Thatch moving forwards hesitantly.

"I'll be good." Octavia whimpered and pushed herself out of his grasps and into the corner of the room. Ace pushed forwards to grab her but her shield was up instantly in protection. He flinched backwards and he fell onto his back. Wincing as the pain ran down his arms and through his body he pushed himself back to his feet.

"Flick!" Thatch shouted and moved to stand next to Ace. He'd never seen this side of her before. No one but he and his brothers had witnessed her fear. He watched as she curled up on herself and pulled her face into her chest, protecting her vital parts.

"Flick you're okay. You're safe." Ace pushed himself back to her shield and started to bang on her shield, wincing each time the shudder ran through his spine.

"What's happening?" Thatch appeared beside him; "What happened?"

"She spoke," Ace grunted trying to get her to look at him; "Flick, it's me Ace. Just look at me Flick." But she kept her head down and her hands were wrapped tightly around her body.

"She spoke…" he whispered as his realisation hit him. She had spoken out loud, with two men in the room. She hadn't spoken in front of anyone else before, except when Marco heard, but she didn't know that then. Pausing his banging, he snapped to look at the two men behind him, they needed to leave, they needed to show her that they weren't those men that did all those things to her, she needed to see that they weren't a threat to her.

"Take off your belts!" Ace shouted at them eyeing off their leather belts.

"What?" they both stared at him like he was crazy.

"She doesn't speak because the man that took her whipped her with his belt every time she spoke. So get rid of them!" He explained as quickly as he could. The look of rage ran through both the men as they realised exactly what they had been told, could have scared anyone at that moment.

"Come on Flick, it's me Ace, I'm your brother remember." He banged against the hard surface.

"Remember Flick, you've got three brothers. We won't let anyone hurt you," Ace pleaded almost sounding desperate. He felt useless, he couldn't stop his sister's pain that she was going through. He couldn't stop the painful memories that she was dealing with.

Octavia flinched at ever contact that was made to her shield but she couldn't hear him.

_Shut up you brat!_

_Demons don't deserve to speak…_

_I told you to shut up you monster…_

_I'll rip out your tongue the next time you speak…_

"Octavia!"

She opened her eyes and lifted her head towards the voice. Her vision clouded and she tried to make out the people around her.

"You're not in the cage. You're in the kitchen." The voice spoke and her hands moved to the floor. "You're sitting on tiles, not in a cage."

She could feel the cold surface.

"I'm your brother remember. I won't let anything hurt you."

Slowly her vision started to focus and she could see her shield out protectively around her.

"It's me." Ace whispered pressing his hand flat on the barrier; "You're safe."

Looking forwards she could see a hand and then the person who was speaking to her.

"Ace," her voice cracked as she placed her hand onto her shield meeting his.

"It's me Flick," her shield dissolved and her hand fell against his warm one.

"I've got you." His arms wrapped around her and she felt all the fear disappear almost instantly. She buried her face into his shoulder and gripped onto his shirt. His calming scent washed over her and she felt grounded again. She knew where she was, and she was safe.

There was no pain.

There was no yelling or screaming.

She was safe.

"Princess," her eyes snapped up and she flinched backwards and her hand flew out ready to wrap her shield around Ace and herself. But she froze.

"I'd never…" Thatch spoke softly and took a step back; "I wouldn't…"

"Outside mate," Lyon moved forwards and lead Thatch away as his hands shook.

"Thatch," her voice whimpered as she retracted her hand.

Octavia watched in horror as the one man she trusted most walked away with pain written all over his face. She had caused the look. She didn't mean too.

"I didn't mean too," she whispered to Ace.

"I know Flick, he'll understand." Ace pulled her into his chest and she let the older boy hold her together.

"It's not your fault." Ace whispered over and over again; "It will always be there fault…"

Ace sat them both down in the corner and she clung to him. She could hear bangs and crashes outside in the galley and each time she clutched onto Ace harder. While he spoke soothing words to her trying to ease the situation.

"Flick," she slowly lifted her head and saw Lyon crouching down but far enough away from her. He was always giving her space. Lyon always gave her space. He never frightened her.

"He's not mad at you sweetheart," Lyon spoke seeing her eyes dart from him to the galley; "I promise Flick, Thatch is fighting his own demons at the moment." He sighed.

"What do you mean?" Ace voiced her question.

"It's not my story to tell, but Thatch has history with slavers. Someone very close to him was taken and he…" she nodded in understanding. She reminded him of his friend.

Another loud crash and she winced looking at the steel doors leading into the galley.

Pushing away from Ace she walked towards the joining door.

"Just give him a minute Flick," Ace moved next to her and grabbed her hand. But she shook her head, she had to fix this. She pushed the door open and slipped into the dark galley.

The galley was almost in complete darkness, she could make out where the tables lined down the hall and the chairs that were placed neatly next to them. She looked around the room and then she saw a mess of broken chairs and tables in the corner.

"Thatch?" she whispered. A set of eyes appeared in the darkness and she could now see where he was sitting.

"Flick," she watched him wipe his face as she walked closer towards him. The moonlight shined through the windows and lit up the small broken pieces of wood that lead a destructive path towards the man.

"Stop," his voice made her freeze on her spot; "There's broken wood everywhere, you're not wearing shoes Princess."

She looked up and could see him more clearly now. He sat clumped in the middle of debris with bloodied up knuckled and hands.

Without thinking she flickered from her spot and appeared in front of him. She knew he would never hurt her. This was Thatch. The man who brought her books to read, who told her stories of their adventures, who would sneak her extra bits of food when Lyon or Lia weren't looking. She trusted him.

"Flick," he whispered in shock.

"I'm sorry," her head bowed not daring to the look the man in the eye. She knew how important trust was, and she knew how much Thatch had worked to gain her trust and in that one moment she broke everything.

"No Princess," suddenly she was picked up and smashed against the man's chest. Her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders and she buried her face into his shirt; "It's not your fault."

They both sat there wrapped in each other when Thatch spoke. It was barely a whisper but it was enough for just her to hear.

"When I was about your age, my parents told me that I was going to be a big brother." She lifted her head off his chest and stared at him as he spoke. His eyes were looking out into the darkness of Galley but she knew that he was visiting his old memories.

"God I was such a shitty kid; I hated the thought of having a baby in the house and when she actually arrived, it was worse than I had imagined. They named her, Rin after my great grandmother, and all she did was scream and cry at all hours of the day and night." Thatch looked out the galley windows and stared into reflection of the moon on the calm water.

"When she started crawling that was even worse, that little brat followed me everywhere. One day my parents were both busy and Rin was trying to stand up using the chair when she fell. I don't think I'd ever been more scared in my entire life." He looked down at the girl in his arms and twirled a strand of her long hair in his fingers.

"I ran to her praying that she didn't burst into tears, or worse get hurt. And then she giggled and pulled herself back to her feet. That little brat took one look at me and called me Aniki," he laughed remembering the looks on their parent's faces when she crawled and ran around the house shouting her first word.

"She was ten when our parents died. A plague hit our village and wiped out most of the elderly and children. From then on it was always Rin and me, we were a team." Thatch looked back out at the ocean and tried to hold back the fear that ran through his soul. He never wanted to remember what happened next, he only wanted to remember the good times, and he wanted to remember her smile and the sound of her laugh.

"What happened?" Octavia whispered.

"She was seventeen when she taken. Eight girls from the village were taken from the markets. It was slavers."

_'We have to save them!' Thatch's hand gripped onto his sword tightly as he and ten other men ran towards the docks. They ignored the screams and pleas of the villagers, begging them not to mess with the Celestial dragons. Even though those noble scums weren't here people still feared their wrath. _

_But it wasn't their little sister that was taken, it wasn't someone they loved who would be forced into slavery, they weren't the ones who would have to stand by and watch as they were forced to marry a monster._

_'There!' one man pointed out on the horizon; a ship had just released its sails and the dark mark of the slavers was enough to confirm Rin's location. _

_'Prepare every vessel!' Thatch screamed running onto the wooden docks. He didn't care about whatever punishment he would get as he unroped a small boat from the end and jumped onto the wooden seat. _

_'Thatch wait up,' he felt the boat tip as a second weight entered. _

_'Jon,' he looked at his best friend and smiled in thanks. _

_'She's family man.' _

_He handed Jon an ore and together they pushed and pulled until they were closer and closer to the ship. _

_It felt like hours before they had made any progress in gaining on the slavers ship. _

_'Kill every man there,' Thatch snarled._

_'No one survives.' Jon counted. _

_They were both willing to risk their lives to save not only Rin, but also the rest of the girls from their village. No one deserved the life of a slave, no matter what they might have done in their life, no one deserved that. _

_'Is that Mary?' Jon pointed at the ship. _

_A young girl stood on the railing and threw herself off and into the water below. And then another girl followed, and then another. Thatch counted as six girls escaped from the ship. The other boats changed their course and were quick to pull the soaked girls to safety. _

_'Where's Rin!' Thatch spoke as his eyes darted around the ship waiting for her to appear on the railing. _

_His arms ached as they continued to move through the water. _

_'Aniki!' his head snapped up and his heart pounded. _

_'Rin!" he screamed pushing his arms faster as she appeared on the edge of the ship with her arm supporting another girl who looked wounded. He dared not to look at the red blood that soaked through their dresses. _

_'Aniki!' he watched as she was dragged off the railing and disappeared out of sight. He shouted for her but the piercing sound of a gunshot froze him. _

_Looking up he saw the young girl pull herself over the railing and tumbled into the sea, but there was no sign of his sister. _

"She died that day." Thatch whispered letting his head fall against the wall behind him; "The other girls told us that they escaped because of Rin. Because she didn't give in, she fought back and gave them the opportunity to escape." He released his arms when he realised how tensed they were, and probably squishing Flick.

"You remind me so much of her Flick, always fighting back. Never giving up." A lone tear escaped his eyes and he quickly brushed it away.

Octavia looked up at the man. She wanted to ask him a millions questions, to tell him a million things. But nothing would come out, nothing she could think of could bring back his sister. She always wondered if it would have been better if she had died that day with her mother. But she kept those thoughts to herself.

"When Ace yelled at us to take off our belts, I never imagined that was the reason why…" his voice trailed off as he looked down at her. His hand moved to her face and he gently brushed her bangs from her eyes.

"You can speak to me Flick," he whispered.

Looking down she felt her hands start to fumble with the corner of his shirt. She knew that she trusted him, more than she had trusted anyone for so long as she remembered. But he was a man, a huge, tall, muscular man; he reminded her of the others. Her eyes roamed down and she noticed the absence of his leather belt with the skull ornament at the front.

"No belt?" she whispered looking him in the eyes.

"Never again Flick," he smiled down at her and she looked down at the top of his pants. She knew he had it on earlier she had seen it, she had always seen the men's belts. She could recall every belt she had seen on this ship and who it belonged to.

"I would never hurt you, no matter what you do Flick. You will never ever be hurt by me or Lyon. Hell no one on this ship would ever hurt you. Especially not for speaking, to be honest everyone has been a little anxious to hear you speak."

"I won't be punished?" she whispered looking down at the white bit of fabric in her hands.

"Never," Thatch lifted her chin and spoke to her directly; "I swear to you."

"Okay," a small smile lifted on her lips and she felt a bone crushing hug from the man.

"That's my girl." She giggled and squeezed the man back.

"Thank you Thatch," she whispered into his chest.

"Anytime, Octavia." She pulled back and saw a smug smile on his face.

"Ace spilled the beans." He laughed and placed his hand on her head; "But you will always be my little Kiddo, or bumblebee, or Skippy, or Squishy – hey." He laughed feeling a small punch from her.

"Watch it Princess you're getting strong." Octavia laughed as she was picked up and together they headed back towards the kitchen.

* * *

Octavia never thought she would get much of her life back after she was taken away from her home; she never thought she would find a place that resembled home, after her birth home was destroyed right in front of her very eyes. She never thought she could live a day without having to look over her shoulder, or watch what she says or does.

But now, she felt as though she had something that resembled a home. She had people surrounding her that she considered a family; people who she trusted and was starting to now depend on.

The last week had been different for all of them. Thatch and the others would come into their new room with little gifts or books to share amongst them all. Izo would always come in carrying some form of clothes for them and he would make them try them on as soon as the door was closed.

"Thank you Izo," Octavia smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror and at the commander. She really liked the pale green dress she had been given to try on. Her mother always dressed her in green or white, she said that it made her hair and eyes stand out so much brighter. Giving a small twirl she watched as the dress flared out at the bottom. A small giggle rose to her lips as she remembered dancing and jumping around in the flower garden outside her old home.

"You're welcome," Izo stared at her with shock written over his face. Izo moved to crouch down next to her and started to pin the dress at certain spots. She watched him as his smile never left his face.

"Flick looks pretty," she glanced over to the beds where her brothers were still sitting waiting for their turn to get measured and dressed. Luffy sat closest to her, with his legs dangling off the bed, and his eyes were wide with excitement. He loved getting new clothes. When they were alone he would tell her about a woman named Makino, and how she would bring him new clothes and would feed him. She really wanted to meet this woman one day. Luffy with his innocent mind associated people giving him things, or cooking him food as love, because that was all he knew growing up.

"Thanks Lu," she laughed. She really did feel pretty in the dress, she felt pretty in all the dresses that Izo made for her. Her eyes fell onto her legs that were exposed and she tried not to sigh. She could still see the angry red lines that were slowly fading into a dull pink, but she knew that they were there to stay. She would always have her scars to remind her of the years she spent with those monsters.

"Alright, you're done." Izo helped her undo the dress and lift it over her head without getting stabbed by the pins in the dress. As soon as she was free she pulled on her shorts and jumper that she had been wearing. "You have a lovely voice." She felt a small kiss pressed to her forehead and she beamed back up at the man.

"Thank you Izo," she felt her blush rise to her cheeks as she quickly turned away and joined her brothers on the bed.

"Short stack, you're up." Izo laughed as Luffy practically bounded over to the spot in front of the mirror.

It wasn't too long before the four of them had been measured and pinned for the next set of outfits that Izo was preparing for them. Ace and Sabo had tried to refuse on so many occasions about the amount of clothes that they were getting, but with a quick glare from the commander they each shut up. He was just as frightening as Lia on a bad day.

"Pineapple head!" Luffy beamed seeing the commander walk in the door.

"It's Marco brat." He groaned ruffling the boy's hair.

Marco would come and see them every day to make sure that they were doing okay in their cabin. This time when he came in, they were each huddled around the two small windows in their room as they looked over onto the ocean.

"What are you looking at?" The commander asked seeing that their attention drifted from him pretty quickly and back to something outside of the window. He really hoped that there wasn't an enemy ship, or marines heading their way.

"The ocean," Ace answered in a wishful voice. Marco knew right then that the four of them were destined to live a life at sea. They longed for it.

"Would you like to go outside for a little bit?" Marco asked and saw four faces snap towards his. The smiles on their faces was something that he would never forget.

"But Miss Lia said we weren't allowed to yet." Sabo added said losing a bit of his smile. They were still on bed rest which meant no leaving the room, only for the bathroom.

"Let me deal with Miss Lia. As long as you do as I saw and no running." Marco looked directly at Luffy for that part. He had a feeling as soon as they were given space he would be the first one to run around and most likely fall off the ship.

"Where's Thatch?" a small voice spoke out and he had to force himself not react. He looked at the young girl who stood between the boys, with her hands fidgeting with the hem of her dress.

She had just spoke out loud.

She had just spoken out loud, and directly to him.

He tried to keep the smile off his face when he saw her eyes flash to his. She asked him the question. He wondered if he was the first person she had spoken to willingly. He secretly hoped so, for his own gratification as well as something to rub in his brother's nose.

"Would you like me to get him?" Marco asked and saw her nod.

"Only if he's free." She rushed out quickly but he smiled at her.

"I'm sure he would rather take a trip up on deck, that doing any of the paper work he supposed to be doing," He laughed knowing his brother would use any opportunity to get out of doing his desk job.

"Be ready in five minutes." Marco said and watched as they started rushing around the room trying to find their shoes and jackets.

Marco left the room, closing the door behind him. He headed towards the Galley where he had last seen his brother, but more importantly he wanted to know what the hell happened to get Flick to speak openly.

By the time he found his brother he found Izo with him with a set of material and his sewing kit on the table.

"Marco," Thatch smiled at him and gestured for him to take the empty spot next to him.

"I'm taking the brats up on deck. Flick has requested your presence." He watched for some kind of reaction but he didn't get one. He glared at his brother, so he knew all along.

"How long has she been speaking to you." Marco stared at his brother.

"Few days, to me and Lyon." Thatch smirked.

"Me too," Izo bragged.

"How." Marco demanded not liking that he was last to find out.

"It's a secret," Thatch laughed at his brother's expression. There was one thing he knew and that was his brothers need for being in control. He wanted to know about anything and everything, and ever since those four brats came aboard, he was even worse but in a good way. He wanted to make sure that they had anything and everything that they could possible need.

"Idiot," Marco groaned; "Are you joining us or not."

Thatch scrambled to his feet and so did Izo. They were not missing the chance to spend some more time with the brats. Especially when they wanted to spend the time with them. They had longed for the time that they weren't afraid to be in the mere vicinity, let alone wanting to spend time with them. This was a huge boost for all of them.

"Where is Namur?" Marco asked looking around the galley for the fourth member of their newly formed group.

"He's up on deck." Thatch sighed knowing that his webbed brother was not going to be openly joining them. He didn't know what was going through his head, but he wanted to stop and shake him on the spot. He wanted to know why he was so distant with the brats. Sabo was his charge, and he made sure that he had everything he needed and would constantly check up on him with Lia, but he never stayed longer than five minutes.

Namur cared about them, he knew that. But he didn't spend any time around them for them to notice this. If he wasn't careful he would never get their trust the way the three of them seemed to have received already.

"Let's just go. We don't want to keep them waiting." Izo said not happy with the whole situation either but there wasn't much they could do about it.

* * *

Ace stared out at the open water with a smile on his face. He let his eyes close and he could feel the wind blowing past him. He had the urge to open his arms and let himself laugh, but he restrained himself. This was freedom. This was everything that he wanted in his life, for him and his brothers and now sister. He wanted them all to be free, together. To be able to do what they wanted, when they wanted and without the fear of being punished.

He opened his eyes and looked at his youngest brother who didn't have the restraint he had. Luffy was standing as close to the railing as possible with his arms out wide and his famous grin plastered on his face. He could hear him giggling to himself when the ship hit a small wave and they were sprayed with sea water.

He looked over to Sabo whose eyes had just met his. They didn't need to say the words to know what the other was thinking. This was what they had dreamed of. To be sailing together on the ocean.

"This is amazing," he glanced over to his sister who was standing up against the railing trying to bend as far forwards as possible. Thatch was standing next to her ready to catch her if she fell forwards.

"All you can see is water," Sabo spoke looking at the horizon that stretched as far as his eyes could see. The rounded world was there for them all to see, there wasn't a building or a mountain, and nothing was blocking the view of the edge of the world. This was when he wished he was an artist, he wished he could remember this sight and paint it so he would never forget this moment. The moment that they were each free.

"Look a dolphin!" Luffy shouted and pointed over the railing and to the front of the boat. Marco was quick to hold him down before he toppled over. "Pineapple head, I want to see the dolphins." Luffy whined which caused the others to laugh.

"Thatch can you hold me," Octavia whispered up to the man who grinned at her. She wanted to see the dolphins too.

"Sure thing Shorty," he laughed but lifted her in his arms. Tilting over the side railing, she placed her hands on the wooden beam as he legs were lifted off the ground. Her stomach lay flat on the wood as she peered over the edge. A laugh broke through her lips as she saw a dozen small grey dolphins all jumping through the water at the front of the ship.

"There's so many," Sabo cheered not needing any help to lean over. Ace was right next to him following his sibling's actions and stared at the creatures below them. He'd never seen a dolphin before, he only heard about them in the many stories he had heard over the years. They were a sailor's friend.

"We're heading towards an autumn island now. They're will be lots of different animals for you to see along the way." Marco explained but he didn't get too much of a response from the brats, he supposed dolphins were more interesting than him speaking.

"Will there be whales?" or so he thought. He looked at Sabo who was leaning back now. His eyes were taking in absolutely everything that they were seeing.

"Possible, they will begin to migrate soon. We might run into some." He laughed seeing the wide eyes on the boy.

"Hopefully they don't think were a whale." Luffy laughed at his small joke; "Maybe they will fall in love and want to get married." He laughed thinking about a whale and a whale boat in love.

"Idiot." Ace scoffed but kept a small grin on his face.

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_**"…Within the core of each of us is the child we once were. This child constitutes the foundation of what we have become, who we are, and what we will be"**_

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**Well there it is :) **

**What did you think of Thatch's background story? Poor guy :( **

**Let me know if there is anything that you want to see, hopefully it's already in the works, but just checking :)**

**Up next: Octavia meets Whitebeard. **

**xx**


	8. Chapter 8 - Dark Shadows

**Wow! Thanks for everyone's reviews, suggestions etc. :D **

**Please review, I like them :D**

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_**"Life isn't about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself."**_

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Octavia was sitting in her new room, in her new bed, with another one of Thatch's large books in her lap. Only a few days ago the four of them were permanently removed from the infirmary and into their own small living area. She could see her brothers sleeping in the beds beside her and even Thatch was taking a nap in the chair at the end of her bed. Flipping through the pages she could pick up most the words etched into the paper but she wasn't trained enough to read through the whole stories yet, this was something she hoped Sabo would help her with soon.

Flipping through the old warn out pages she came across a phrase that made her pause. Her fingers brushed across the inked letters that held so much meaning to her, yet she didn't know what they said. The letters weren't familiar to her, she couldn't find the letters anywhere else in the book; they were foreign to her and to the book.

Her hand gripped into her necklace and she could feel the engraved writing emended into the gem. It was her mother's necklace and it was a gift from her father. It was the last resemblance of her old life that she had. She was always curious as to what the words etched onto the gem meant and here they were finely written in dark black ink in the corner of a page.

She read through the pages before and after over and over again trying to find some form of meaning of those inscribed words but there was nothing. These letters was not a language she could remember or had ever seen apart from on her necklace. Someone had written those words in by hand, it was not a part of the book.

Sighing she looked at the man who had given her the book and contemplated waking him up and demanding an answer. Thatch had told her every time that the books he leant to her, actually belonged to his Pops; Captain Whitebeard. And according to Sabo he had a massive library filled with books from the floor to the ceiling in his room. Something that he was hoping to explore soon enough.

She didn't want to wake the others up. Over the last week her brothers, and Thatch hadn't gotten much sleep. Between their night terrors and their late night cooking lessons not much solid sleep had been had.

Quietly pulling off her blanket she slid off her bed and hugged the book to her chest. Eying the boys off; she flickered to the door and waited for a reaction. When she saw no change she gently opened the door and slid out, closing it behind her with the smallest amount of noise she could muster.

She knew where she was heading, they had past the Captains' quarters every night while venturing off into the kitchens she only hoped that she didn't pass anyone on her way there. Tomorrow was the day she was meant to meet with the Captain himself, but right now she wanted an answer, and that outweighed all her fear or apprehension on meeting this great man.

A few minutes later she stopped in front of a large wooden door that seemed a lot bigger when she was standing there alone. Taking a deep breath she calmed her nerves and raised her fist against the hard wood.

She heard the man inside acknowledge her and she pushed the door open.

When she went inside she stared at the room in awe. It was exactly how her brother's had described it, it was something out of a book.

"Well hello there," she turned quickly and felt her hands grip the book tighter into her chest. There was the captain, or giant as Luffy liked to describe him. He was sitting in a large chair at his even larger desk flicking through a book. Swallowing the lump that formed in the back of her throat she plucked up all the courage she had and spoke to the man.

"Hello Mister Whitebeard," she spoke with all the confidence she could muster up at that moment. She waited for any response from the sound of her voice, but he barely reacted. She already assumed that the man knew everything that was going on aboard his ship. She eyed the large man, he really was the tallest man she had ever seen before, and by the looks of his body, she could not see why he was dubbed at the strongest man alive.

"Stefan no," Whitebeard's voice startled her as she was knocked down onto the ground. Holding back a scream she then felt a wet sensation on her face. Opening her eyes she saw a large white dog standing next to her. It was not really the attack her instincts had first thought. The dog barked excitedly and then licked her face again, this brought her out of her small state of shock and she smiled.

"Hello there," giggling she sat up and placed her hand on the large dogs head. Its tongue lopped to the side of his mouth and hung out as he panted next to her. She scratched his head and earned a small bark from the dog.

Whitebeard was surprised to hear the young girl speak, he knew that she had opened up with Thatch but he had never imaged that it would include the rest of them. He would have to give his son full credit to the girl that stood in front of him. He never expected these results with her so quickly. He had imagined it would take months before she would open up to anyone, and here his son had done it in a matter weeks.

"Well now that is a surprise," Whitebeard laughed looking at his dog with a smile.

"What is?" she asked curiously looking up at the man briefly forgetting that the man was in the room.

"This is Stefan and he is a very protective dog. He doesn't warm up to anyone. Apparently you are an exception." The man laughed and she looked back at the panting dog. It looked as though he was laughing along with the captain. Looking at the old dog she couldn't imagine him being aggressive or dangerous, he was a good dog.

"How are you feeling young lady? Are you feeling alright?" Whitebeard placed his book on the table and looked up and down the red haired girl in front of him.

"Yes sir, I'm fine." She whispered still petting Stefan who started to lick her hand when she stopped giving him the attention he wanted. He was the distraction she needed to be able to speak to the captain in front of her. Stefan was grounding her, it amazed her that a simple animal could give her such feelings.

"Have you come for another book? I quite enjoyed that one, it's one of my personal favourites." Whitebeard spoke gesturing down to the book that had landed beside her.

"No sir, I was- can you-" she whispered hoping that the man could read the inscription.

"Come here child," he gestured to the empty spot on his desk and she paused for a moment; "It's alright." He added with a kind smile.

With a small nod she picked up the discarded book, and appeared to the spot on his desk. She felt her bottom hit the wooden surface and let her legs left dangling off the edges as she peered up at the man. Even sitting at such a height she still had to look up at the man who was sitting himself.

"Now that is a most impressive power you have there," the man laughed. She looked down at the book in her hands, not sure how to respond to his comment.

From her experience people did not like her power, they didn't find it impressive they found it disgusting. She was a monster in the eyes of normal people, she was something to be feared and thus something to be destroyed.

"What's the matter child?" his voice softened and she slowly shook her head wishing away the tears that threatened to spill. She hated that still to this day those words of those people still brought fear into her heart, it ached inside remember those comments and slurs towards her.

"You do not need to fret about your gifts here, there isn't a person on board that would ever look down on you, or deem you a monster." Her eyes snapped to the man.

"How'd you know?" she brushed her eyes and cleared her blurry vision.

"Did you know that I too ate a devil fruit?" She shook her head.

"I ate the tremor tremor fruit. And Marco, he ate a mythical zoan fruit, I believe you saw it the day you were rescued." He explained and realisation hit her. The bright yellow and blue flames she had thought was death wasn't; it was Marco.

Marco ate a devil fruit.

Whitebeard ate a devil fruit.

She sat there in silence trying to process everything that the man had just told her. In those short few sentence's she was given a lot of think about. Her hand moved to her necklace and she felt her heart start to race.

These were people who were accepted by hundreds of men, they were looked up to and admired by so many. Yet they were like her, they were different too.

Her mother always called her, her flower. She always told her that those people who would call her a monster, were the real monsters of the world. Her mother would always talk about places in the world that accepted people who were different, people who were kind and loyal. People like her daddy.

"What is it child?" she glanced up at the man who smiled gently down to her. It reminded her of Tatsumi; just like a father, or a grandfather would. She know could see why Thatch and all the others looked up to this man. He was known as the strongest man in the world but to his crew; his family he was the kindest man in the world.

"Can you read this?" She flipped open the book to the page and pointed to the inscription.

"Together, Forever." His voice spoke the words with ease.

_'We'll be together forever my special flower.'_

Tears trickled down her cheeks as her hand clenched around her necklace. She tried to fight them back but she lost. A sob broke through her lips and she quickly brought her knees to her chest and buried her face into her chest.

She could remember the look on her mother's face as she was dragged away from her, she could remember the words that left her lips and the tears that ran down her face.

_'I'll love you forever Octavia. We'll be together, forever.'_

_'Don't forget Octavia.'_

She felt her body being picked up and suddenly she was surrounded by warmth. Her hands gripped into the man's shirt and felt his large arms wrap around her frame.

"It's not fair!" she wailed.

"I know child," Whitebeard rubbed circles into her back as she clung to the man.

"Your mother loved you so much. She would be so proud of you." The man whispered and she let her emotions take hold and a loud cry escaped her mouth as she clung onto him.

"I want her back," she whimpered; "I want her, back but they took her. They took her away from me!"

"I know child. But she will always be with you. She is always watching over you."

Whitebeard stared down at the broken girl in his arms. He had his suspicions about the girl's history and now it seemed that he was on the right path. He ran his fingers through her long red locks and let her release all the emotions she had been building up for however long. He could tell from the very first time he had seen her out on the water, that she was strong, and that she was a fighter. But even so, she was still a child, and someone who was way too young; too innocent to be forced into the life she was living.

After a while he noticed the soft cries had turned to sniffles and then to light snores. She had fallen asleep in his arms. He wiped the tear tracks that stained her cheeks and stood up with her still in his arms. Moving to his bed by the window he placed her on his pillow and tugged the blanket up to her chin, banishing away the nights chill.

He watched in amazement as Stefan jumped onto the bed and circled around himself at the bottom of the bed. Finally he sat down and his body was leaning against the girl's feet.

"You watch over her," Whitebeard patted his head and eared a small bark.

"POPS!" he turned his head and glared at whoever threatened to wake the sleeping girl only to let a smile rise.

"Settle down Thatch, she's safe." Stepping back he revealed the sleeping red head.

"Thank fuck." Thatch slumped into the nearest chair and ran his hand over his face.

"She okay?" he whispered not taking his eyes off of her.

"She will be my son. She will be."

"Wait Stefan?" Thatch stared wide eyed at the beast who lay next to Flick.

"Alright wolf pack time to meet the crew." Octavia looked at her brothers and felt her anxiety start to rise. It was one thing to meet new people one by one, but today they were deemed ready enough to go and eat breakfast in the galley today with everyone else. Luffy was the only one out of all of them that seemed to be taking this new change the best, in fact he was downright excited to be meeting everyone.

"Lu," Octavia spoke and quickly grabbed his hand. She wasn't sure if she was doing this for his protection or for her sanity but either way she was not letting go of the boy.

"Can we go now, I'm starving!" Luffy wined tugging her forwards and towards the door. Sabo was quick to grab Luffy's other hand and halted him.

"Do you think there will be meat? Luffy questioned looking at his brother.

"Only if you're good." Sabo was quick to add and noticed the pout from his brother. But the threat did work, Luffy had stopped tugging and pulling at them to go faster.

Sabo was first behind Thatch as they walked through the narrow corridors and then she and Luffy followed closely behind. She watched Luffy as his eyes darted around ever new corner taking in every single part of the ship.

Ace was walking behind her and she felt that little bit safer knowing that he was watching their backs.

As they arrived at the galley she squeezed Luffy's hand and took in a deep breath trying to calm the nerves that were bubbling in the back of her throat. She kept trying to remind herself that she had been here before, she knew where all the exits were, she knew the best way to escape if something went wrong.

"Right behind you Flick," she heard Ace's whisper and she gave him a slight nod telling him that she had heard him.

"Whoa this is so cool! Hey Sabo look at how tall that guy is!" Luffy tried to run forwards but she kept her hand firmly around his; "Look at that sword!"

"We can talk to them later Lu, food first remember." Sabo spoke easing the young boy's antics.

"Right food first, explore later." Luffy grinned and tugged them forwards to follow Thatch.

She eyed off each table they passed trying to remember all the faces she passed. Some of them smiled towards them others waved and then some of them stared at them like they were the enemy. Moving a little quicker she moved closer to Sabo's back and tightened their little formation.

"Alright here we are, the cool kids table." Thatch laughed and pointed to a large wooden table that could fit at least ten people on it. She pushed Luffy's butt on the bench first and then slid in beside him and watched as Sabo and Ace flanked them.

Looking up she saw a friendly face staring at her and a wide smile appeared on her face. She lifted her hand and gave the captain a small wave. He smiled and pat the side of his chair as an open invitation. That one small smile from a man who commanded everyone around her was reassuring.

"I'll be back," she whispered to Ace who was watching the exchange carefully.

"Be quick otherwise Luffy will eat your food." Ace smirked giving her the permission she wanted to go to the captain.

Disappearing from her spot on the table she appeared at the vacant spot on the captain's armchair.

"What the fuck!" her head twisted around and she held in her giggle as she saw a large man with his drink running down his front, staring at her in shock.

"Good morning child." She looked up at the man and beamed.

"Good morning Mister Whitebeard." She heard a few chuckles from the men around the closest table and a light blush spread to her cheeks. She heard a loud bark and she saw Stefan sitting beside them.

"Morning Stefan," she patted the dogs head and ignored the gaping expressions of the people around her. She still didn't see how Stefan was dubbed as the monster guardian of the ship. Thatch was very theatrical when explaining the strength Stefan had and the loyalty he had towards Whitebeard.

"Did you sleep well?" she nodded remembering waking up back in her own bed.

"Yes sir, I like the room." She spoke; "Thank you."

"You're very welcome my dear." The large man laughed and she felt herself giggle along with him. Just sitting with the captain was enough to settle down her anxiety she was feeling when she first walked through the doors. That small moment last night was enough for her to place him in the trusted category of her mind. She already trusted the man on a small level because of the stories that Thatch and Lyon had been telling her, every person aboard the Moby Dick each had their own stories to tell, but there was one common point, Whitebeard had given them a home.

"Good morning Flick." She turned her head and smiled at the blonde man walking towards her.

"Morning Marco," she smiled giving him a small wave. She looked at the others that were now surrounding the smaller table in front of Whitebeard. She waved to Namur who gave her his signature nod, she wasn't sure why the Fishman wasn't around as much as the other three commanders that had been assigned to them, but she suspected that being the navigator was a busy job.

"How are you today Miss Flick," she smiled at her favourite sharpshooter.

"Good thank you Izo. Thank you for the clothes." She looked down at her pair of denim shorts she was given and a green hoodie. It seemed that Izo had caught onto her love for green, as every day she was wearing some form of green.

"You're very welcome dear."

"Flick this is Jozu, he is the Commander of the third division." Marco stepped closer to her and she looked at the man he was pointing at, "he's a big teddy bear." Marco whispered the last part to her.

"Hello," she whispered earing a large grin from the tall man. Even whilst he was sitting she could tell he was taller than the average man, but not as tall at Whitebeard himself. At first glance she was a little nervous of his stature but after he waved his fingers to her she felt a small smile appear.

"Glad to finally meet ya Little Miss. Thatch can't stop raving about you," he laughed loudly causing her to jump a little in fright.

"Settle down you big oaf, you'll scare all the children away." Izo smacked him playfully on the shoulder.

"After lunch today, you and me little one. I have a little surprise for you and the boys." Izo smiled gentle towards her and she nodded quickly already knowing that it probably had something to do with more clothes.

She listened as the commanders started to talk amongst themselves, and she could really see how they were more than just a crew, that they were indeed a nakama. She glanced back at her table and could see her brothers all talking animatedly to each other and Thatch was hanging off every word they were saying. They were just like the crew. They were a family just the same.

They were her brothers, and she would go to the ends of the earth to keep them safe.

She turned to look at the captain and was about to say something when a rush of dread washed through her body. Her eyes darted around the room and she could feel her heart rate start to pick up. Her throat started to tighten and her stomach plummeted.

"Morning Pops," she looked over her shoulder and saw a new man arrive. As soon as she saw him her entire body froze. The feeling inside was only getting worse as she looked over this tall dark man.

"Morning Teach," the others around the table announced.

"How was watch last night?" Marco asked as he sat down at the table with a huge plate of food. She noticed the way that Marco seemed to step closer to her.

Octavia felt her fear rise and her eyes darted across the table and to her brothers. Her hands started to tremble and she was fighting against her own instincts to send her shield across the room to protect Luffy.

Her instinct told her that something was wrong.

Her instincts were never wrong.

It reminded her of all the times she was dragged from her cage and into that sterile room, it was that same unbearable sense that flooded her entire body.

No one would hurt Luffy.

She would always protect him.

"You're safe child," she felt a large warm hand surround her and she was moved onto Whitebeards broad shoulder. Her hands gripped onto his large one and she felt her fear slowly disappear, but it was still there nagging at the edges of her mind. She could still feel it laying deep within her, just waiting to strike. She knew this feeling, this was why she never dropped her guard. She could feel the attack just waiting to happen.

"Hey there girlie, I'm Teach." The large man held out his hand to her and she flinched backwards. Her hand lifted and she prepared her shield to defend herself.

"Princess," she blinked and suddenly the view of the man was gone and Thatch appeared blocking her line of sight; "Time for breakfast Turtle, Lyon's bringing out your favourite." He grinned up at her with his usual smile. She looked back at the captain and noticed his look towards Thatch. She tried to look around Thatch to find the source of her discomfort, but her view was blocked.

"I'll be watching over you, child, go and enjoy your meal." Whitebeard lifted her off his shoulder and she was handed over to Thatch's awaiting arms.

Thatch was quick to put some distance between them and the new table of people and to whatever had spooked her so quickly.

"You okay Princess?" Thatch whispered to her and she nodded but she didn't say a thing. She tried to look over his shoulder but everyone from that table was now blocked from her view, all accept Whitebeard. She looked at him as he was watching her disappear from the table. He was watching her.

Thatch had watched the entire exchange with a proud smile on his face. He watched as the young girl who only a few weeks ago was too scared to speak; but now she was willingly going to his Pops to say good morning. He eyed off his brothers at the commanders table and prepared to intervene if something went wrong.

He was glad to see Marco step in and take her flank protectively. Each of the four guardians, as he liked to call them, were now extremely protective of their brats. They had seen them at their complete worst, and now they were finally starting to resemble kids. And there wasn't anything that was going to ruin the hard work they had put into gaining those kids trust.

"Ace." Sabo's nervous voice forced him to look at the boy; "Flick," Sabo pointed to Octavia who was sitting on his Pops' shoulder.

Both boys looked towards the Captain and he followed their gaze. As soon as he saw Octavia's tense body and saw her hands pressing forwards, he pushed out of his seat and headed straight towards her. He had been around the little wolf pack long enough to tell the signs of Flick's powers.

Something had upset her.

Something was causing her fear to spike.

As soon as she was in his arms he knew that something had happened to scare her, or someone had scared her. Her hands gripped around his shoulders with such force he thought he might bruise. Guilt flooded through him, he was the one who suggested that the brats would be ready to eat with everyone else. He was the one who had made her feel this fear again.

"Flick," Ace spoke as they reached their table and she was quick to move from his protection to the protection of the young ones.

Thatch looked back over at the table and eyed off each of the new faces that she had met. Something happened between the exchange of Jozu and Teach. She knew all the others who were there. He would have to remember to ask Marco and Pops about it later.

"Good morning my little munchkins." Lyon announced seeing his four favourite people at breakfast. He paused seeing Flick flinch at the sound of his voice. He looked over to his friend and saw him nod. He guessed that it wasn't going to be a good day for the four of them. It was to be expected, the four of them had been to hell and back, it would be impossible for them to bounce back so quickly.

Octavia looked up and she felt a smile reach her lips as she looked at her friend.

"Morning," Ace grumbled and turned back to face her.

"Good morning Lyon," she whispered.

Lyon looked at the bunch and then to Thatch. Something wasn't right, he could tell that much. Normally his arrival signalled food and the four of them or at least the boys gave him a much more excited welcome. But today, they smiled politely and turned back towards each other.

"Luffy, are you ready for breakfast?" Thatch asked crouching down to the kid's level. He could see the way his little hand was wrapped around Sabo's. Something happened to the point Luffy had noticed as well. Or was this his reaction to Flick's reaction.

"Is breakfast ready yet, I want meat!" Luffy spoke up earning a smile from each of them.

"Coming right out buddy," Lyon laughed and saw a small frown on his friends face as he watched over Flick.

Sabo sat at the table with a whole new level of worry. The moment he noticed Octavia freeze up he noticed Luffy do the same. Something had happened that made both his siblings panic and he had no idea what it was. He tried to question his youngest brother as to the sudden frown and clinginess he showed, but he got a small groan and a shake of the head in response. He didn't return to his normal self until Flick was back sitting next to him.

He watched carefully over his siblings as they ate their designated food. Luffy was definitely less excited than what he was before he entered the galley, especially seeing as he made no attempt to steal of his or Ace's plates. Whilst Flick seemed to be on her guard searching around the room for some kind of danger. He was glad to see Ace's hand wrapped around hers throughout all of breakfast.

Octavia felt sick. She didn't know what it was but it was the same feeling she had when she was trapped with those men. She could feel the pit of her stomach drop and her fear bubbled to the surface of her throat. Glancing around the room she tried to find the source, find the object or person that was making her feel this way. Her eyes locked on with Whitebeard and he gave her a small knowing nod. He was watching over her, just like he had promised.

She watched as people were walking around the galley, she watched as they placed their empty plates into a trolley and left, she watched as they changed tables and started to talk to the others left in the room. Her fork was halfway to her mouth when that same feeling washed over her. Placing the fork back on her plate she glanced over to Luffy. His eyes set on hers and she could see he felt it too.

"Flick," Ace whispered beside her and she felt his arm pull her closer to him. Her eyes darted around the room, but then it was gone.

"You done?" Sabo spoke looking down at Luffy's fork laying on his still full plate; "Are you sick?" he pressed his hand to his brother's forehead but he didn't feel anything abnormal.

"Not hungry," Luffy whispered looking back at Flick who was feeling the same as him. The thought of any more food made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Come on Lu, just a few more bites. We won't be getting anything else till lunch time remember?" Sabo tried to convince him but he just got a shake of his head.

"Sabo," Luffy whimpered and moved closer to him. Instinctively he pulled him onto his lap and searched around the room for whatever was causing this weird behaviour from his youngest brother.

"Can we go," Ace spoke out firmly not liking whatever was causing such difference in his brother and Flick.

Sabo looked over and could see Flick clinging onto Ace with her spare hand slowly edging towards them. He knew it would only be a matter of seconds before her shield came racing towards them. It was her defence when she felt threatened, and right now both his siblings were feeling threatened and he had no idea as to what was causing it.

"If you're all sure you're full." Thatch mumbled looking at the four still full plates. He knew that something was bothering the two youngest but he couldn't pick up what. No one had approached their table, and as far as he could hear, no one had said anything about the kids…

"Alright time for training." He announced earning a small smile from two of them.

"I'll speak with Pops," Lyon whispered into his ear and he gave him a small nod. Looking across the room he could see his Pops worrying stare over the four children and their food; "I'll bring them something to eat in a few hours." Lyon clapped him on the shoulder before heading over to the commanders table.

The walk to the training rooms was quite. He watched as Ace and Sabo would whisper something to the others and would get a few nods from them in return. He wished he knew what they were saying, but the last thing he wanted to do was to pry. They would tell him when they were ready.

Octavia kept her head down but her eyes darted from corner to corner as they roamed the hallways. Her hand was still clasped into Ace and she had Luffy just a foot away from her. She was prepared for whatever was going to happen. Her instincts were never wrong, when she felt this way, pain would always follow.

"What's wrong?" Ace whispered in her ear but she shook her head. She didn't even know what to think of the feelings she got, let alone putting into words that didn't make her sound completely crazy.

"Lu?" Sabo whispered getting very concerned over his brother's behaviour. The last time he had seen Luffy like this was back at Dawn Island after the ordeal with the bandits.

"Doesn't feel right." His tiny voice responded and he wrapped his arms around his stomach.

"Are you sick?" Sabo pressed his hand against his forehead again, but still there was no temperature. But there was definitely something bothering him; "Maybe we should see Lia?" Sabo spoke and looked back at Ace who was looking at Flick.

"No, just didn't feel right. Not sick." Luffy explained.

"Flick do you feel it too?" Sabo grasped her other hand and she nodded. Luffy was spot on, it just didn't feel right.

"Do you feel it now?" Ace asked letting his eyes roam around the rooms.

"No, it's gone." She shivered remembering that dread.

"Do you know what caused it?" Sabo asked trying to pin point who, what or why this was happening to the two youngest. And why did no one else feel it?

"Danger," she whispered.

Ace and Sabo looked at each other. That was not the answer they would ever want. They didn't know how they both felt fear like that. It came like a bad smell, and then disappeared.

Sabo was never one into believing about aura's or peoples souls. But with Luffy's history of befriending the most unlikely people, and his spot on judge of character. He now doubted the texts he had read about such things. He made a mental note to ask Thatch for a book on aura's later on.

"Tell me next time you feel it, alright." Ace pulled her closer and she nodded. He would protect them both from whatever fear they were feeling. There wasn't a single person in this world he wouldn't fight to defend his family.

"Don't worry Lu, Ace and I will destroy whatever it is that's making you feel different okay." Sabo hugged his younger brother and earned a small smile. He hoped that it was enough to get him to return to his normal state.

Luffy did feel better after hearing his brother's promise. Ace and Sabo were always there for him, they would never break a promise to him. He looked around the hallway and remembered where they were going. They were finally getting to train.

A small spring reached his steps at the thought of being able to stretch as much as he wanted. He wanted to stretch his arms as far as he could and then do it again and again. It had been forever since he was last able to run around and bounce from wall to wall without worrying about landing on anyone or breaking anything.

Sabo had been very strict on letting him stretch in their room, they didn't have enough money, or any money in fact, to be able to replace whatever he broke. So he made a promise to only stretch a little bit. But now he was going to be in an open area and be allowed to stretch as much as he wanted to.

"Come on, Thatch is finally letting us train. Let's have fun." Sabo laughed and finally saw his brother's famous smile on his face.

Thatch glanced back at the group and could finally see some sense of normalcy return, at least from Luffy who gained back his small bounce in his step and his large smile. Flick was the one he was concerned with most, but it seemed that the little pep talk the boys had with her was enough for her to relax and lower her guard just a little bit.

"So cool!" Luffy beamed running into the room as soon as he opened the door. He was glad that the boy seemed to instantly snap from his depressive state and into his excited one.

Octavia on the other hand kept her excitement on the inside. The thought of training and getting stronger was something that she was looking forward too. She wanted to be the one to protect others to keep her brothers safe, she didn't want to be the fragile one any longer.

"Princess, you and me are going to work on your strength." Thatch winked at her causing a wide smile to appear on her face; "And then on getting those powers of yours up to scratch.

"Bouncy you're working with Izo, he's going to get you to actually hit your targets." Luffy's famous D smile was an understatement.

"Double Duo, you will both be working with Marco to get your strength and speed up." The boys high fived each other loving the new idea.

"Wait what about Namur?" Sabo asked wondering about their fourth guardian. He was interested in seeing what he could learn of the navigator slash fishman.

"He's busy," Thatch looked around and then quickly changed the subject, "But first we are going to work on your fitness before we divide and conquer. First up, endurance."

Sabo's initial excitement of training was now completely gone. He felt his lungs protest as he pushed off the side wall and ran back the way he came. He could hear the staggered breaths of his siblings as they ran back and forth up and down the room.

"Keep going my minions," Thatch laughed while sitting on the sidelines.

"Asshole," Octavia sneered who was currently four laps behind the rest of them.

"I'm going to kill him," Ace panted catching up with him.

"This is fun," Luffy added stretching his arms to the roof and swinging to the other end of the room.

"Cheater!" three voices sounded watching the youngest completely forget the point of the exercise and stretch to his heart content.

Octavia felt as though her legs were going to give out under her at every step she took, her lungs burned as she breathed in small sharp gasps. But she hadn't felt happier than she had in this very moment. She looked at her brothers and saw the smiles on their faces and the laughter in their voices as they ran together.

"Alright kiddo's time." Thatch called and the four of them fell to the floor with a thud.

She fell in-between Ace and Sabo and she felt a surge burst through her lips. She laughed loudly feeling the sweat roll off her body and to the floor below her. Looking over to Sabo she saw him looking at her with a smile on his face.

"You're laughing…" he panted. She felt his sweaty hand on hers and she squeezed back in response.

"I'm happy," she laughed admitting it out loud. She was happy. As much as her body protested at the very moment, she was actually doing something for herself.

"Good," she felt Ace grip her other hand and she turned to look at him.

"Well lookie what we have here? Already sleeping on the job?" Four heads tilted backwards and saw an upside down blonde commander standing in the doorway.

"Pineapple head!" Luffy yelled out and they each rolled over onto their stomachs.

"Ready for the real training to begin boys," Marco beamed at the boys sudden burst of energy.

"Luffy, Izo's up on deck waiting for you." And with that Luffy disappeared in an instant.

"Come on Princess," suddenly she was pulled off the ground with a giggle and thrown over Thatch's shoulder.

"What are we doing?" she asked letting her elbows press against the man's chest and let her chin fall into her palms.

"We are going to get your muscles bigger as well as that epic power of yours." Thatch beamed heading towards the deck.

When they reached the top deck she could see Luffy and Izo talking in the distance. She waved to him and she earned a loud cheer and a huge arm wave in return.

"Alright Princess time to build some muscles." Thatch moved to the middle of the space and placed a few weights in the centre. To her they looked small and weightless but as soon as she picked one up she felt weaker than an ant. Groaning she followed Thatch's orders and copied the movements he showed her.

"Okay bouncy, let's get to your training." Izo beamed seeing the excited boy bouncing in front of him. Out of his entire division there wasn't a single person who had ever shown this much enthusiasm in training before. It definitely was a pleasant change to have someone who wanted your help to improve.

"Wait. We're not training with monkeys are we?" Luffy's smile suddenly disappeared and he spoke with such seriousness.

"Monkey's? Why on earth would we train with Monkeys?" Izo crouched down and looked at the boy at his level.

"Grampa always said training was to be thrown into danger. He threw me into a whole kingdom of monkeys all the time. And he would make me fight them." Luffy explained with a sour look on his face; "I don't like monkeys." He crossed his arms and pouted.

"We're not training with Monkeys, I can assure you." Izo smiled and flicked the young boy's hat off his hand and watched it fall back onto his shoulders.

"And you're not going to throw me off a cliff are you?" Luffy asked again.

"Dear god, no kid. Did your grandfather really throw you off a cliff!" Izo was having a hard time keeping his voice neutral.

"Uh huh, he said it was to help with my insects. I don't see how it would help with that?" Luffy pondered and Izo kept his smile to himself.

"I think he meant instincts Luffy, and no we will not be throwing anyone off a cliff."

"Oh good." Luffy beamed satisfied with his answers.

"Are there any other training methods that your grandpa put you through?" He asked not really sure that he wanted to know the answer, but he was sure that Pops was going to have a field day with this kind of information.

"Not really, but there was this one time he forgot about me, and I lived with a bunch of wolves. But they were trying to eat me all the time so it wasn't very fun."

"Seriously?" Izo muttered hoping that he was very good at telling stories.

"Yep, twice actually. But the second time I was a lot stronger and I had learned to climb trees. Did you know that wolves can't climb trees!" he beamed.

"I did know that, yes." Izo was dumb folded.

"What's your training do? Are we going to fight a sea king!" Luffy's smile returned and Izo stood up happy that the little trip down training memory lane was over.

"No we are not fighting sea kings. I want you to try and hit the mast." Izo spoke clearly and pointed to the red-cross that he had painted on the main mast of the ship. It was a large cross so he hoped that the little guy would be able to hit it.

"Alright." Luffy beamed and crouched down into what Izo assumed was his battle position. He had to keep his laughter at bay while watching Luffy prepare himself for his first punch.

"Gomu-Gomu Rocket!" Luffy screamed and sent his fist flying forwards. His eyes were squeezed shut as he threw as much power into his punch as he could. Sabo always told him that even though his punches were off they did a lot of damage.

"What the fuck!"

Luffy opened his eyes and watched as his arm shrunk back to its normal size. Bending to the side he looked behind the mast and saw a man on the ground now tangled in a mass of what used to be wooden crates and rope.

"Oops, sorry Mister!" he called out earning a small grunt and wave from the man.

"Maybe we should move a little closer," Izo muttered not liking where this training was leading.

* * *

**_A river cuts through a rock, not because of its strength but its persistence _**

* * *

**So what did you think?**

**Whitebeard and Octavia have finally bonded :D**

**Teach is about!**

**And Training begins :p **

**Let me know what you think :D**

**xx**

**Thanks guys**


	9. Chapter 9 - Acceptance

**Hey everyone, sorry for the lateness of this weeks chapter :( we had a long weekend soooooo kind of lost the time :D **

**Thank you for everyone's reviews and thoughts on the last chapter! **

**Everyone hates Teach... lol and loves Bouncy :D**

* * *

_**Happiness can exist only in Acceptance  
**_

* * *

"Come on Princess one more," Thatch encouraged her over and over. Finally passing the set she let the weights fall from her hands as she crumbled to the ground shortly after. Tears pooled in her eyes as frustration hit her. Furiously wiping her eyes she glared at the weighted object beside her.

"You'll get there Sparky, it's only your first day." Thatch sat down opposite her and placed his hand on her head.

"I'm so weak," she whispered not daring to look up at him.

"Yes, but this is how you will get stronger." Her eyes snapped up to him and a furious glare set in. She didn't want him to actually agree with her, she wanted someone to tell her it was alright that she wasn't weak.

"Come on Princess, you heard what Lia said, you had practically no muscles left in your body. You've got to start from scratch and that Little Turtle is going to take a shit load of time." Thatch ruffled her hair and she attempted to push him away.

"I don't want to be weak!" she spoke almost pleading at the man to make it disappear.

"I know, and together we will change that." He learnt forwards and she was pulled from her spot and into his lap.

"Your muscles may be weak Nugget but your heart is strong. Without a strong heart there is no point to having muscles." She let her head fall onto his chest and she sighed.

"And until you get those muscles, you can borrow mine." He laughed standing to his feet and throwing her into the air. A laugh rang through the air as he caught her.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Anytime Princess."

* * *

"I think I prefer being a captive," Sabo groaned narrowly missing the rock thrown towards him.

"Agreed," Ace panted hiding behind a crate.

"You're too slow boys." Marco taunted causing the boys to growl.

"I'll show him too slow," Ace grumbled.

They had been at this for an hour already, Marco called it defence training whilst the boys now called it Marco's play time. Their job was to survive the onslaught of attacks from Marco. That was it, no objective, no goal, to reach just to survive. They weren't even allowed to retaliate they were only allowed to dodge, or get hit, apparently it was up to them.

And the worst part was that he wasn't even giving them the dignity of attacking with weapons, they were dodging attacks from the tiniest pebbles he'd ever seen. They wouldn't even be classed as a rock.

"Can we start with the blindfold training yet?" Marco's voice sprung up echoing around the walls. Ace looked up at Sabo and groaned. Next they would need to be blindfolded.

"Again." Sabo looked at his brother and a plan formed in their minds. They were not going to sit there and be live targets for the first commander. If this was their training they were going to give that man a run for his money.

"Flank left and under?" Sabo whispered.

"Attack at dawn." Ace smirked already understanding the strategy that Sabo had instructed. The time at Dawn Island had taught them all a thing or two about planning an attack, well Sabo had done the planning whilst he and Luffy just listened and obeyed.

Ace placed his hand on the sharp corner of the crate and dragged his hand across the edge letting it break through the skin. As the blood pooled into his palm he wiped it across his forehead.

Ace nodded to his brother and quickly dropped his smile and clutched his stomach. Waiting for the next onslaught of pebble attack, he waited till they stopped and then groaned.

"Sabo," a small whine fell from the boy and he staggered from behind the crate; "Sabo where are you?" Ace whimpered and fell forwards to his knees as a cough fell through his lips.

"Ace?" Marco's voice now laced with concern ran forwards. He dropped the handful of pebbles in his hand and eyed the dark red blood dripping down his face. His heart pounded in his chest. He didn't think he was throwing the rocks that hard, he never meant to hurt them.

"It hurts," Ace whimpered and curled in on himself seeing the Phoenix rush towards him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his brother prepared with a large pipe in his hands ready to strike. Where'd he find that?

"Ace what happened, where does it hurt!" Marco gushed out kneeling down beside him.

"Now!" Ace yelled and sprung to his feet.

Marco didn't know what had hit him.

But now he was on his back with two grinning brats above him.

"And what were you yelling at us before?" Ace grinned; "Do you remember the lesson Sabo?"

"I'm not sure brother, it couldn't have possibly been 'not to let your guard down?' Could it?" Sabo spoke.

"Oh I'm sure the great Pineapple Head would never let his guard drop," Ace taunted.

"That's it!" Marco sneered and then the roles were reversed. However now he was walking to the top deck gripping onto two ankles, dangling the boys in the air.

"Come on, admit it we had you!" Ace laughed with his hands crossed over his chest.

"Yeah Marco, admit it we outsmarted you." Sabo added wanted to get some sort of recognition from the man.

"No, I thought you were seriously hurt. That was not funny." Marco grumbled.

"Why would you care anyway, it was just a little blood." Ace looked at his brother and saw the boy shrug. It's not like they were dying or anything. Hell, they had received numerous cuts and breaks in the past and Dadan and the other bandits never cared. They always had to look after themselves, they bandaged each other up, they took care of each other and they healed each other.

"You're serious?" Marco stopped and dropped the boys to the ground.

"Ace, you were covered in blood and calling out, how could you not expect someone to come running." Marco knelt down and stared at him.

"Why would someone come running?" Ace answered completely confused by the comment.

"You were hurt." Marco replied shortly.

"So…"

"Ace," Marco sighed sitting down to face the boys. He understood now.

"If you two were out in the forest and Sabo came out covered in blood, would you rush to him?" Marco asked and got an immediate glare from the pair.

"Of course I would, what kind of a question is that!"

"So do you get now why I rushed to your side?" Marco asked but he was met with silence. Ace looked at his brother and they both were trying to process what had just happened and what the great Commander of the Whitebeard pirates was trying to say.

"But we're nothing to you," Sabo whispered speaking for his brother.

"No Sabo, you and your brothers, and Flick. You are not nothing. And you will never be nothing again. You four are a part of this ship, and you are protected by the Whitebeard Pirates. You are now surrounded by people who care about what happens to you." Marco spoke remembering the words that his Pops had once said to him all those years ago.

"You may be leaving here in a few months, you may find somewhere else to live or even set sail on your own one day. But once you're a part of the Whitebeard Pirates, you will always be a part of the Whitebeard Pirates."

"But we're not even pirates yet, we're not a part of the crew!" Ace snapped which only caused Marco to laugh.

"Maybe not kid, but you don't have to be a pirate or a crew member to be a part of something. You four are siblings right, yet you share no blood…" Marco explained hoping that they would see it his way; "One day you will understand what I mean, but for now just accept that everyone here cares about your safety."

Ace watched as the man walked away from them. Leaving them with something that neither of them could fully comprehend. It was meant to be a joke, it wasn't meant to have this kind of reaction.

They cared about them…

"Let's find the others," Sabo whispered pushing himself to his feet.

Ace followed his brother towards the galley where he could already make out the sounds of his youngest brothers yelling's.

"And then I had to try and hit these big targets but I overshot and I hit Izo, it was so funny." Luffy grinned. "Ace, Sabo!" he turned when they walked into the room.

"Off the table," Thatch whacked the boy lightly but Luffy sat back down in his chair.

"How was training?" Octavia asked as they neared. Ace eyed her carefully seeing the slight redness in her eyes; she'd been crying.

His eyes snapped to Thatch who just gave him a small nod. Ace trusted Thatch, he trusted, four- now five people to be alone with his siblings. Thatch was first one to gain his trust and he knew that he wouldn't have caused the tears in her eyes. But something did and he would find out what.

"Fine," he grumbled taking a seat next to her. She eyed him carefully before looking to Sabo hoping to get a better response.

"Something happened," Sabo answered and she rolled her eyes.

Octavia knew something definitely happened, she could tell the moment the boys walked into the room. But what she wanted to know was what.

"Thatch?" Sabo spoke taking a seat next to Luffy.

"Yeah kiddo."

However Sabo wasn't sure how to ask the question that he was desperate for someone to answer. He looked at Ace and could see the same dilemma on his face.

"Alright brats tell me what happened?" Thatch sighed sitting down at the head of the table and listened as the two brats let the whole thing flood from their mouths.

"So let me get this straight, Ace you pretended to be hurt while smearing blood all over your face. And you don't get why Marco was concerned?" Thatch rubbed the back of his neck. He knew that these kids were damaged but he never thought it ran this deep.

"Okay let me try and explain this. Adults have a responsibility to look after children. So when a child is hurt, sad, lonely, hungry, or anything other than happy and healthy, it is the job of the adult or parent to make sure that the child is happy again. Does that make sense?" he looked at the four kids and got one nod and three blank ones.

"Mama always cared," Octavia whispered wrapping her arms around herself; "No one else did till I met you guys."

"No one cared about us, accept for us." Ace responded.

"Sabo and Ace did all those things. Oh accept Makino and Shanks they cared." Luffy piped in.

"Well you four have been surrounded by a bunch of assholes. People are meant to care about others, especially a child. So now you guys will come to learn what it really means to be a child, let us be the parents for a little while." Thatch hoped that his answer cleared things up a bit.

"We're not children, and we can look after ourselves." Ace snapped.

"We know you can, but you don't have to burden it alone." Ace stared at the man like he had grown two heads. For all his life he had done everything alone, he had done everything by himself. And then he met Sabo and they shared the responsibilities and then they added Luffy to their list.

They looked after each other.

They found their own food.

They cooked their own meals.

They built their own home.

They healed each other when they were sick.

They did everything together and by themselves.

"Thatch?" Luffy spoke up after listening to the whole conversation.

"Yeah Bouncy."

"You care about us?" Luffy looked up at him with a very confused look on his face.

"Of course I do." Thatch spoke quickly.

"Oh, okay." Luffy looked at his brothers not sure how to respond. He had only known two adults in his life that had ever cared about him. Two people who had truly cared about what happened to him, Makino and Shanks. They would make sure that he had eaten and bathed and Makino always gave him knew clothes and taught him things.

He looked at the other kids in his village and the way they were treated by the other adults and he never understood why he wasn't like that. Why he didn't have a house to go home to every night with a mamma and papa. But he saw Shanks and Makino as his parents, they did everything that he saw other parents do.

He had his grandpa, but he wasn't always there. And when he was there, it wasn't the same. It wasn't like the feeling he got when he was with Shanks or Makino. He felt as though he could tell them anything in the world, and they would listen to him. But with his grandpa, he would be stopped halfway through a conversation and get told off or hit.

"Why didn't other adults like us?" he asked weakly; "Is something wrong with me?" Luffy's voice broke as he looked up at the man.

"No my son," a voice appeared behind them and the four heads snapped up to see Whitebeard standing in the doorway; "Those people are the true monsters in this world."

"Mister Whitebeard," Octavia whispered.

"You four have been dealt a horrible hand. Something I do not wish upon anyone in this world. But here on my ship, there is no judgement for one's past, or for the blood that is running through their veins." Ace felt his eyes lower as the captain stared to him; "We judge people on their words and on their actions. We judge people on their heart. Your four have beautiful and honest hearts." The man sat down at the front of the room in his chair and looked at the four children before him.

"You four are a part of this ship, a part of this Nakama. If you will accept us, you will be forever accepted by the Whitebeard Pirates."

Ace felt his entire heart drop.

Accepted.

In his entire life that was only thing he wanted. Was to be accepted. To not be judge for the man who created him. He wanted to be himself and to be known as Ace, and not the son of the monster.

Octavia felt her hand cup over her mouth as tears formed. She looked at Thatch who gave her a gentle smile, reassuring her on what she had heard. They wanted her. They wanted them. She looked up at the man and she quickly appeared on his armrest.

"You want us?" her voice stuttered as she wiped her face.

"Don't cry my child," he laughed and pulled her into his chest; "You're home."

"But what about Shanks?" Luffy asked not sure what was going on.

"No matter where you go child, you will be accepted by us. You will always have a home to return to if you shall ever feel lost or alone." Whitebeard spoke and earned a smile from the youngest.

"Ace, did you hear that we have a home." Luffy grinned; "A real home."

"A home…" Sabo whispered looking to his brother. A place where they wouldn't be judged, a place that wasn't run by bandits in the jungle, or a place that wasn't hand built in the middle of nowhere. He wouldn't be the son of a Noble, he would be Sabo. Just Sabo.

"Just like that?" Ace spoke not risking looking up at the man. He could feel the entire weight he carried start to lift. It was too good to be true. "No catch, no nothing, just like that you'll accept four strangers."

"From the moment you entered this ship, you were already a part of us. Whether you accepted it or not, we were never going to let anything happen to you." A voice behind him spoke and he felt his teeth bite into his lip.

Marco walked up behind the oldest and could see how tense he was holding himself. He knew that this kind of conversation was difficult for Ace. He knew just by watching the boy that he felt the full responsibility of his siblings.

"You've been an amazing big brother Ace, you've protected your brothers with your full heart and your life. You did your job. You found them a place to live and to grow, somewhere they would belong, somewhere they will be safe to actually live." Marco whispered knowing how the boy was feeling. Slowly he placed a hand on the boys shoulder and forced him to turn around.

"You are an excellent big brother. But now you can be safe too. You can be happy, you can be accepted." Marco gently lifted the boys chin and could see the internal battle the boy was facing.

"You are Portgas D Ace, and we accept you for who you are." Whitebeard spoke and Ace quickly glanced at the man. Everything he had been told was the truth, everything he had been promised happened.

"No you can't." Ace gasped shaking his head. These words cut him deep but he knew the truth. When everyone discovered who he truly was he would be thrown overboard. He couldn't accept this offer and put his brothers and Flick's life in danger like that.

"Ace," Sabo whispered from his spot. He knew the look on his brother's face. He remembered seeing it back at Dawn. He was preparing for the instant betrayal when he revealed who his father was. But he knew better, he knew that not everyone in the world would judge him for that.

"You don't know anything about me!" Ace screamed looking at the Captain. "How can you accept me when you don't know? If you knew you would kill me in an instant!" he yelled fighting back the tears that threatened to run down his face.

"You are way to young brat to start assuming what I would do." Whitebeard spoke looking down at him.

"What if the Pirate King had a son! What would you d-" Ace yelled standing up on the stool trying to gain some height against the tall captain.

"I don't give a damn about who your father is boy." Whitebeard snapped standing up from his seat.

Ace stood there on his stool staring at the man blankly.

"But-" his voice whispered. "You know?"

"Brat, I've known since the moment you stepped aboard this ship." Whitebeard laughed sitting back down in his large chair.

Ace slumped back onto his stool. He didn't know what to say or how to respond. They knew. They knew who he truly was and yet he was still alive.

"Ace," Marco knelt down in front of him and placed his hands on his shoulders; "You are Portgas D Ace. Nothing more, and nothing less."

"But-"

"No. This is who you are."

Ace couldn't move. He couldn't think.

He kept letting their words run through his mind over and over again. They all knew who he was. And they accepted him.

"What is wrong with you people!" he stared at the people surrounding him. His eyes ran from commander to commander, to their captain, to his brothers and then to his sister. They were all still surrounding him. They were all accepting him.

"That's not very nice," Flick whispered with a small smile on her face. She didn't know exactly what was going on, or who exactly Ace's father was. But she didn't care who it was. It could be the devil or god himself and it still wouldn't change her mind about her brother.

"How can you just sit there!" Ace stood on his chair and moved to stand in the middle of the table. He glared at each set of kind eyes that stared back at him. He didn't deserve those looks, he deserved the harsh glares that he was used to for his whole life.

"How can you not hate me. How can you look at me like that!" he screamed looking at each of the commanders.

"You're our brother." Luffy spoke up standing up on the table in front of him.

"We're family." Sabo took the spot next to Luffy and linked his hand.

"We're in this together remember." Octavia stood up and took her place completing their small circle. She clasped her hand around Luffy's and then to Ace's.

"You belong here with us," Thatch stepped forwards and placed his hands on Octavia's shoulders.

"Portgas D Ace," Marco stepped forwards and placed his hands on Sabo' shoulders.

"Just accept it bra," Izo laughed mimicking the other commander's positions and placed his hands on Luffy's shoulders.

Ace stared at the people in front of him. His hand clutched onto his sisters and brothers. They were giving him the strength to stay standing where he was. He let his eyes fall down as his tears ran over his eyes.

"This is where you belong." His eyes snapped up and looked at Whitebeard.

"Ace."

"Sabo."

"Luffy."

"Octavia."

"You belong here on my ship, in this nakama." Whitebeard stood from his chair and stepped forwards, towering over them as they stood on the table.

"Thank you," Ace whispered letting his tears fall freely down his face.

* * *

"I'm going to kick your ass!" Octavia screamed chasing after her dark haired older brother.

"Come get me Flick," he laughed dodging between the pirates who just stood still with their plates of food high above their heads, letting the brats run around them.

"Language Flick!" Marco called out from somewhere in the galley.

"Get back here you stinking thief!" she flickered onto a table and searched around the room for the cupcake stealing monster. She had spent all her hard work making those cupcakes from scratch and he went and licked off all the icing.

"Remember the times when meals were peaceful?" Marco sat down at the table and muttered to his Pops.

"Don't think I want to my son," Whitebeard laughed and chugged down his sake while watching the youngest aboard act their ages. It had been three weeks since the brats accepted that they were officially a part of their Nakama and since then it hadn't been the same.

"Mister Whitebeard," looking up at his shoulder he felt a weight appear, followed by a young red haired girl.

"Hello Octavia," he grinned at the young girls pout.

"Can you use your powers to catch Ace, he poisoned my cupcakes." She whined poking out her bottom lip. It had taken her all of two days to figure out the power of that look worked, and it had everybody wrapped around her little finger.

"Now my child, we shouldn't try to kill your brother." Whitebeard laughed loudly.

"I know that, but can we maim him just a little?" she giggled.

"This is what we get for letting you hang around Thatch for too long," Marco laughed. He was astonished at how quick the four kids had adapted to their new home. How carefree they seemed, and how happy they were. It almost didn't seem real that just over a month ago they barely ate, slept or smiled and here they were running around causing all kinds of trouble.

"Princess, I caught you a rat." Thatch appeared holding up Ace by the back of his shirt.

"Put me down you big oaf." Ace tried hard to break free which only caused the commanders to laugh.

"No can do little man, Flick here offered me the rest of the cupcakes in exchange for catching you." Thatch laughed.

"Do we need more defensive training, Ace?" Marco threatened causing the boy to cross his arms in defeat.

"I thought you didn't like sweats my boy?" Whitebeard laughed.

"I can eat what I want old man." Ace glared.

"Lucky I put Luffy's boogers in that icing," Octavia crossed her legs with a very smug smile upon her face.

"You didn't." Ace froze and glared at her.

"You'll never know," she sang and then squealed seeing her brother lift his arms and effectively slip out of his shirt and Thatch's hold on him.

"I'm going to get you Flick," he screamed out lunging for her.

"In your dreams slow poke." She laughed while disappearing from her spot and reappeared behind him.

"No powers!" Ace screamed out launching over the table.

Marco watched with a smile on his face how the roles were suddenly reversed.

"Amazing isn't it," Thatch added, watching as they disappeared from the galley while dragging the other two into their antics.

"Did she really put Luffy's boogers in the cupcake?" Marco asked slightly wary of the baked goods he had received the day before.

"Who knows, Ace has been stealing bits of her cooking for the last few days. Wouldn't put it past her," Thatch laughed.

"Seriously why did we leave her with you, you're corrupting the innocent girl." Izo added with a smirk. "I should have traded with you when you asked. She could be learning how to sew and make outfits, not swearing like a sailor."

"What can I say, I'm just good that way." Thatch laughed with a huge smile on his face that he had been wearing for weeks now.

"When is Vista meant to arrive with his division?" Whitebeard asked.

"Later this morning, last I heard they had acquired some important documents from the marines they had encountered. Should be interesting to see what they're up to now." Marco responded with a sly smirk on his face. There was nothing better than getting the upper hand on the enemy.

Nothing like getting the insider knowledge.

Nothing like being prepared.

That was until he was presented with a black envelope.

"This has to be some kind of sick joke," he muttered lifting it up so Thatch could see it.

Thatch stared at the words that were printed in dark black ink over and over again until his entire body started to tremble.

"What the fuck!" he cursed trying to control his rage.

Marco stood in complete shock seeing a black enveloped wanted poster in his hands. He had only ever heard of these bounties, he had never thought that the marines actually used a secret system.

"Why the fuck do they want her!" Thatch roared pounding his fists onto the table.

"Calm yourself my son, nothing is going to happen to Octavia." Whitebeard spoke out trying to calm the murderous intent in the room. He had called a meeting with the commanders for the arrival of Vista and his division. He thought it would be good news, he never expected this. There should be celebrations and parties not this. Never this.

"Okay, someone really needs to fill me in," Vista sat awkwardly at the table not understanding a thing that was going on. He thought his brothers would be happy about this. He thought there would be cheers and celebrations not anger and rage…

"This is Flick." Marco turned the poster around and the others in the room finally saw the poster. It was a picture of a young red haired girl with chains wrapped around her wrists and dark fearful eyes forced to stare right at the camera.

Vista stared at the poster with a new set of eyes. He had heard all about the four little Whitebeard Pirates that had joined them, he heard about the way his brothers had discovered them and what they had each been through. Now he understood the rage that filled the air in the room. This child was one of them, she was one of the Whitebeard Pirates and here she was being hunted, and by the world government no less.

"Wanted Strictly Alive by the World Government, name Octavia, age ten years, heritage CLASSIFIED, Devil fruit CLASSIFIED. Sea stone has null effect. Anyone caught harbouring the fugitive will be eliminated with use of buster call, no acceptations." Izo read the poster aloud to everyone. "Dear god a buster call! This has got to be some sort of mistake."

"What does the world government want with a ten year old girl?" Thatch murmured wanting to run from the room and straight to the girl in question.

"This is to be kept between Commanders only, I do not want this threat to reach those children's ears. Do I make myself clear?" Whitebeard commanded and everyone in the room agreed.

* * *

"Ace, isn't this the best ever!" Luffy grinned sitting on top of the massive figure head with his hand holding down his precious straw hat as it blew against the wind.

"You're happy Lu?" Ace asked watching as his youngest brothers signature grin grew wider.

"Yep, our dream came true. We're all out at sea together. This is what we wanted." Luffy whispered not letting his eyes drift from the ocean view in front of him.

"I thought you had another dream?" Sabo mocked coming up from behind them and stood next to Ace. He let his elbows dangle off the sides of the ship as he looked down at the waves that crashed against the side of the boat.

"Yeah," the smile fell off his brother's face.

"What dream?" Octavia finally caught up with Ace and appeared next to Luffy on the figure head.

"Doesn't matter," the youngest mumbled.

"Lu?" Sabo climbed up and sat behind his youngest brother; "You're dream can still come true. What happened doesn't change anything."

"Does," Luffy whispered and leant back into Sabo's chest who wrapped his arms around his stomach protectively. Sabo looked back at Ace whose face seemed to mimic his thoughts. It wasn't like Luffy to lose interest in something that he really wanted.

When Luffy wanted something, Luffy got it.

"Luffy, can you tell me your dream?" Octavia whispered placing a hand on his.

"Stupid dream." Luffy pushed himself to his feet; "I'm going to find Izo and train."

The three of them watched as the happy boy from this morning was suddenly gone and replaced with the sad Luffy that seemed to appear more and more lately.

"What was his dream?' Octavia asked looking at Ace and Sabo.

"He wanted to be the King of the Pirates," Ace whispered looking back at where his brother had disappeared off too. "It was practically his catch phrase."

"King of the pirates?" she gasped, that was no small dream.

"Yep, he was adamant that he was going to find the strongest crew in the world and together they would conquer the grand line and find the one piece." Sabo explained with a sigh.

"What happened?" she whispered already knowing the answer.

"Salvers," Ace growled. He hated them for what they did to him and his brothers but now he hated them with everything in his body, they destroyed his brother's dream.

"Fucken assholes," she growled and stared out at the sea. She heard the snickers from her brothers but she ignored them. It seemed the more she hung around with Thatch the more and more she was turning out like him. Marco went around calling her a Mini Thatch and Thatch couldn't have been happier.

Whitebeard however was not too overly fond of her language she had picked up from almost everyone on the crew. He wasn't all that happy that the three of them had picked up such a sailors mouth, or pirates mouth as they now dubbed it.

Luffy wandered around the ship with his hat shadowing his eyes. He walked quickly and ignored everyone until he reached the one place he wanted to be. Pushing the large door open he saw Whitebeard sitting at his desk and Marco was standing just in front.

"Luffy," Marco spoke quickly moving to the boy seeing his downed cast eyes. .

Luffy lifted his head and he was quickly scooped up into the man's arms.

"Marco, what's your dream?" Luffy mumbled which caused Marco to freeze. There were only two times when Luffy called him by his real name and that was when he was scared or sad. Marco carried him over to Pops' desk and sat him down to face the both of them.

"My dream?" Marco questioned and received a nod.

"Well my nakama is my dream. I always wanted to be free to sail on the ocean with a nakama. I am living my dream, why do you ask?" he asked seeing the boys head fall back down. Slowly Luffy took his hat off his head and placed it on his lap.

"Shanks gave me his hat. He said that when I was a strong captain, only then could I return it to him. I was supposed to have a crew and a ship and a flag. But…" tears pooled in his eyes as he squeezed the hat in his hands.

"I'm not strong," tears rolled down his check and he buried his face into the straw hat. "I couldn't protect my brothers."

"That's what you're worried about, seeing Shanks and not being a strong pirate captain?" Whitebeard laughed and placed his large hand on his head.

"But I made a promise," Luffy cried looking up at the captain.

"That brat isn't going to care if you're a famous pirate captain my boy, he only cares about you. I don't think there would be a thing in this world that would make that man change his mind about you." Whitebeard spoke looking directly at Luffy.

"This hat is precious to you correct?" Whitebeard spoke and Luffy nodded so fast that his head might have hit the table. "Well Luffy, you are precious, like this hat, to Shanks. He might be a brat but that kid loves you." Whitebeard laughed.

"What was your dream Luffy?" Marco asked.

"I wanted to be the King of the Pirates." Luffy said with a little more determination than before.

"Wanted to be?"

"Yeah, but I can't now." He murmured.

"And why not?" Whitebeard interjected.

"Don't want to be alone," Luffy whispered finally admitting his fear. He didn't want to be separated from his brothers for a second. He didn't want to be on a different ship to them, he didn't want to set sail alone. He never wanted to be alone ever again. He didn't want to be scared like that again.

"Brat you will never be alone for the rest of your life. No matter how much sea is between you and your family. You will never be alone." Whitebeard lifted Luffy off the table and threw him onto his shoulders.

"Now let's go find your siblings." The large man stood up causing a squeal of excitement to rush through Luffy as he gripped onto his head for support.

* * *

_**Laughter gives you reason to hope. Tears give you reasons to fight.**_

* * *

_**So what did you think?**_

_**I know a lot of people were asking for more ASL - and there will be more one on one time with them. :D I hate to get Flick to be on the same sort of page as the boys. :D**_

_**Let me know what you think? **_

_**Thanks Everyone xx**_

_**Octavia**_


	10. Chapter 10 - Wolf Pack Strike

**Hey there everyone! Thanks for everyone for their reviews, comments and suggestions. **

**Here is the next chapter :D More of ASLO 0_0, okay I'm going to need a new referral to the four of them. **

**Enjoy xx**

* * *

**_Fight your fears and you'll be in battle forever. Face your fears and you'll be free forever._  
**

* * *

"Come on Flick again," Thatch called out to her. She stood at the bottom of the deck glaring up at the man who was holding a stop watch in his hands. Every day she would continue her training with her brothers and then they would be separated to work on different things personalised to each of them.

She felt the sweat roll down her back as she took in a deep breathe. Her training was to perfect her flickering as Thatch now dubbed it. He had set up a huge course around the deck of the ship and she had to reach each point as quick as possible and then move onto the next. She had twelve locations to get to before he would stop the clock.

So far she was sitting just above thirty seconds and that was with her collapsing to the ground in pile of sweat unable to move for a good few minutes afterwards. But every time she did it she would be slightly quickly and be immobile just a little less.

"Ready," Thatch called lifting his hand with the small timer ready and waiting to slam his thumb down on the starter. She nodded and then disappeared from her spot. She reappeared behind the mast and then she was off again. By the eighth flicker she leant against the wooden crates for support while she regained her breathe.

"Go Flick!" a cheer from her makeshift fan group gave her enough power to push through the last four.

"Time, twenty nine point two." Thatch called out as she sagged to the ground in a heap not able to move an inch. "That's a new record Princess." Thatch beamed down at her as she held up a thumbs up not able to speak just yet.

"That was so cool!" she winced feeling the pressure of a bounding ball of rubber land straight into her stomach.

"You were like wooosh and woosh and then you disappeared and then bam you were over there," Luffy grinned trying to mimic everything that she had done with his arms stretched out wide.

"You were very impressive Octavia," Izo appeared glancing down at her from above. She smiled and with the rest of her strength she sat up still with Luffy in her lap.

"Thank you Izo," she panted.

"How's your target practice going?" she asked regaining her ability to talk without gasping for her next breath.

"Great, I hit three targets today!" Luffy grinned proudly but when she looked at Izo she saw a completely different opinion.

"Out of about a hundred Luffy," he shook his head. After all the training programs he had run, and the countless pupils he had trained and given advice too, he had never come across someone so difficult to teach. He had all the willingness in the world and the heart of the truest of warriors, but there was nothing he could think of to get the boy to hit his intended target. But he knew that when he discovered a way to harness his aim, then he was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

It had become apparent to all the Whitebeard pirates that worked on the deck of the ship, that during Luffy's training time, everyone must be on their guard otherwise they would suffer an impressive blow from the boy. Which knocked most of his brothers to the ground and some of them were unconscious for a brief period of time.

"I don't see how you can grab any piece of meat at no matter what the distance, but when it comes to a target your hopeless." Octavia laughed ruffling his spiky black hair. She had seen Luffy in action when it came to meal times, he always managed to steal food from and unsuspecting victim on the other side of the galley.

"You-" she looked up at Izo's stunned face.

"You're a genius." He beamed; "I'll be back in ten."

And then he disappeared.

"Why did I sign up for this," Ace groaned holding up a piece of meat in the air. He looked to his brother and could see him a few feet away from him doing the same thing. Half the deck was filled with Whitebeard pirates all anxiously holding a piece of meat into the air.

"We were forced into this punishment," Sabo groaned not liking the plan.

"Shut up this is for Luffy," Octavia mocked sitting in her favourite spot; on top of Whitebeards shoulder. She looked out at the few commanders and her brothers who were all roped in by Izo to help with Luffy's training. She dubbed herself immune to the training session due to the fact that it was her brilliant idea.

She was confident that this plan would eventually work out in the best interest for Luffy, but maybe not the best interest for everyone else. She only hoped that he got it on the first try.

"Alright Luffy, all that meat is yours. But you are not allowed to move from this spot. If you miss, then that person can eat your meat. Do you understand?" Izo instructed seeing the drool that was practically falling from his mouth.

"Got it, get meat and eat it." Luffy reiterated not taking his eyes off Ace's meat first.

"I'm scared." Ace mumbled not liking the look in his brother's eyes.

"Was nice knowing you brother," Sabo mumbled.

"Shut up brats were all in this together," Marco groaned holding up a piece of his own meat in the air.

"Gomu Gomu-"

"Oh god he's saying it…" Ace groaned turning his body away from the incoming pain.

"Meat Grab!" Luffy screamed.

Ace felt the meat get ripped from his hand so forcefully that he almost fell forwards with it. He stared back at his brother with wide eyes.

"That was awesome!" Luffy spoke while munching on the sick of meat.

"You did it." Ace muttered in shock.

"He actually got it." Sabo mumbled in the same amount of shock as his brother.

"And how long had you been trying to train him?" Octavia grinned smugly from atop of the captain.

"Meat, why the hell did we never think of that?" Sabo spoke looking at Ace.

"Language," Marco warned but Sabo ignored him and watched as Luffy made a grab for his offering.

It took Luffy about two minutes to gather all the meat that was offered to him and eat it all. He even had the nerve to ask to train again.

"Well it looks like the two youngest of the wolf pack have improved the most," Thatch spoke out causing Ace, Sabo and even Marco to glare at him.

"Ace and Sabo have improved just as much," Marco defended his charges.

"Oh really, as far as I can see they can just run a little faster. My girl here has smashed her own record by double, and Luffy here just hit one hundred percent of his targets." Thatch taunted watching Luffy reach for another piece of meat.

"Is that a challenge, brother?" Marco stepped forwards and starred down Thatch.

"Oh no, I don't like taking your money, brother." Thatch mocked.

"You have one week. We will see which brat has improved the most." Marco snarled.

"Hand to hand combat?" Izo stepped in. He had a whole new training program in mind for the youngest of the wolf pack and there was no way he was leaving his little bouncer out of this challenge.

"Two minutes one on one spar. Best guardian wins." Thatch called.

They were about to seal the deal when a loud laugh broke them of their challenging. They looked at Whitebeard who was watching the whole thing with a smile on his face.

"Why don't we have a teacher, student competition?" he suggested.

"Deal. Come on princess we have work to do." Thatch quickly moved towards Flick and all but yanked her from her spot and headed to their part of the ship.

"Luffy let's go." Izo called and they too disappeared.

Marco turned to face the boys and he could tell that two boys were just as worked up as he was.

"Shall we?" Marco gestured towards the training rooms and the boys smirked at each other.

"We'll crush them." Ace grinned looking forward to testing his strength against the other commanders.

Sabo looked around and tried to find Namur. He didn't voice it, but he wondered why the last commander seemed to not want anything to do with them, especially him.

* * *

After five days Octavia and the others felt like punching their guardians. Never had she seen three people with more of a competitive streak than those three. And then to top it all off she had heard the other pirates around the ship taking bets on which team would win. So far it was a pretty even match between Sabo and Ace, which she was very pissed off about. She wasn't even close to Luffy's odds which infuriated her even more.

"This is bullshit," she groaned throwing her weakened body onto her bed. Thatch had just worked her to the bone and she could barely feel her arms or her legs. He had her current personal best time down by another three seconds and apparently that still wasn't good enough to satisfy her guardian. She ground her teeth just remembering his lovely words of encouragement.

"Want to trade?" Sabo sighed from his collapsed position not even making it to his bed. He had small rips and tears all throughout his new clothes that Izo had made for them. If he could see the state of all their clothes she was sure that Izo would win the contest and destroy the rest of the guardian commanders.

"Why do we have to fight for money," a small voice perked up from his bed. She looked over and saw the most energetic of them all still managing to sit up with his arms crossed over his chest and a small pout on his lips.

"They just want to fight each other anyway." Luffy groaned falling backwards with a sigh.

"Well then, how about we change things up a bit." Ace grinned wickedly and suddenly plans started to form in the four children's heads.

"No one messes with the wolf pack," Sabo grinned sitting up.

"Still a stupid name," Ace groaned but agreed full heartily. No one messes with them.

* * *

"I'm going to kick your ass, rubber brains." Ace called out from the top of his lungs. He stood atop a table in the galley and was flanked by Marco and Sabo who were staring down Luffy and Izo.

"Nuh uh," Luffy responded jumping up onto the table and stared threateningly towards his brothers.

"You need to teach your student the proper way to insult someone, or is it your teaching skills that are lacking?" Marco taunted Izo who glared back with such ferocity. "Wasn't it the youngest female aboard who actually taught your stupid how to aim?"

"We'll see who the better teacher is, after lunch, we will prove who the better team on this ship is." Izo grabbed Luffy's hand and dragged him off to a corner of the galley to discuss strategies alone.

"Idiot's," Octavia mumbled sitting next to Thatch who was surprisingly keeping quiet through the whole exchange.

"Damn right Princess," he responded; "We're the ultimate team aboard this ship." And she rolled her eyes.

"We'll show them all just how good we are." He grunted forcing more food into his mouth.

"Worst odds, my ass." He grumbled shoving in another load.

Octavia sat there trying to ignore the man and the way he was eating through his emotions. She glanced across the room and saw her blonde brother give her a knowing smirk. She personally could not wait till the battle came up.

"Show them a thing or two about teaching…"

She rolled her eyes and continued to eat her own food at her own human pace.

Lunch went by pretty normally after the little turf war that went on. Lyon quickly stepped in and called a peace treaty whilst they were in the galley, he couldn't afford an all-out brawl to take place in there.

Sabo slid in beside her as Lyon brought out a plate of baked goods and placed them in the middle of the table.

"Muffins!" Luffy's voice was echoed around the room as he suddenly appeared standing on the wooden stool and reaching his long arm towards the plate of muffins. Octavia quickly acted and threw her shield around her hard work. She did not want her youngest brother to eat them all before everyone else got at least one of them. His rubbery hand banged against the small dome protecting the food and he sighed.

"Flick please," he begged, "I'm starving."

"One," she spoke firmly and saw him nod fast. Preparing to throw her shield back up at any moment, she lowered it and watched him like a hawk as he grabbed the biggest one possible. As his arm retracted she sighed and grabbed her own muffin.

"Thanks Flick," Luffy mumbled with half of his muffin falling out of his mouth. She laughed as Marco scolded him for speaking with his mouth full.

"Great cupcakes girlie," she froze feeling that flooding sensation rush through her body. Her eyes darted to the side to the three people walking towards their table. Teach, Namur and a man she had yet to meet officially yet.

"Their muffins idiot," Ace rolled his eyes and slid closer to Luffy who had the rest of his muffin the air in front of his mouth.

"Anyway, tastes amazing." Teach stopped in front of their table and she moved one hand into Sabo's while the other pushed towards her brothers opposite her. She would be ready to protect them at any costs.

"Teach, you have your own plate. Back off." Thatch laughed and quickly slid their full plate of muffins towards him with a smile.

"Wouldn't dream of stealing them," Teach laughed loudly causing her to jump. "You did a good job Flick." He looked at her but she stayed still.

"Flick?" she heard her brother whisper to her but she refused to take her eyes off the man.

"Anyway, got to get back to work." Teach waved and headed towards the exit. Her eyes followed his every movements until he was out of sight.

"You alright Princess?" Thatch looked down at her and finally noticed the way she huddled herself closer to Sabo.

"Yes," she smiled up at him but it was forced. He glanced over to the youngest and could see him clinging onto Ace. Much like the last time this had happened. It was always Luffy and Flick who reacted like this.

"Brats this is Vista, he is the fifth division commander." Marco announced trying to break the brats out of their sudden wave of depression and fear.

"Hello Miss Flick, I have heard a lot about you." The man stepped forwards and bowed his head towards her, tilting his top hat in the process. "And your cooking skills is talk of the town." He winked at her and she felt herself smile back at the man.

"Hello Mister Vista," Sabo added as polite as ever. Whilst Ace just grunted and turned his attention back to his youngest brother as he still clung to his arm.

"Who wants more muffins?" Thatch quickly shouted and saw a small head poke out from Ace's arm. Sure enough a rubber arm appeared out of nowhere and snatched another muffin right off the plate and disappeared back behind Ace.

Thatch was even more concerned now. This was the second time this kind of thing happened with the two youngest aboard. He had thought the first time it had been due to the amount of new faces that the brats had been exposed to in such a short amount of time, but now he was more inclined to believe it was a specific person that was causing such strange behaviour, and the more he thought about it the more he saw Teach as that person.

* * *

Ace sat on his bed with his arms crossed over his chest. He stared out of the small window in their room and watched as the waves would crash against the side of the ship and coat the small window and then disappear.

Sabo was sitting at his desk in their room and he could hear his hand darting across the pages in his book. Every now and then Sabo would ask him a question about something in their past, he was documenting everything from the day they met until their current days.

That was a book that Ace never wanted to read ever. He knew of how Luffy liked to retell their history, and he didn't want to hear of another tail of their past. He didn't want to hear the accurate telling of their pasts that he knew Sabo would be able to capture.

Octavia and Luffy were currently in the captain's office doing something, but he was sitting alone and thinking.

He recalled the events of lunch over and over again in his mind and it was frustrating him to no end. He wanted to know what caused such fear in his youngest siblings and he wanted to destroy it. He was the oldest brother, and it was his responsibility to look after his brothers and sister.

"If you sigh one more time I'm going to throw my book at you." Sabo slammed his hand on his desk and turned to face him. He hadn't even realised that he had been making any sound.

"Now what's wrong?" Sabo moved from his desk and sat down at the end of the bed.

"At lunch," Ace spoke looking back from the window and to his brother. "With Flick and Luffy." He explained seeing the recognition in his brother's face.

"Oh," Sabo sunk down further against the bed now letting his mind join his brothers in confusion. Sabo had thought about his siblings reactions over and over again. He had researched and read countless books on what could be causing it. And most of them were completely ridiculous, and then some of them made sense, especially given the trauma that they had all been through. But what didn't make sense was the fact it didn't happen with every large, muscled man, it was only with certain people.

"I was reading a book about auras." Sabo spoke up looking out the small window his brother was staring out.

"Aura?" Ace asked giving his brother every bit of his attention.

"Yes, it's said to be an atmosphere that can be seen to surround certain places, objects or people."

"You think they have an aura?" Ace asked not really believing in such fairylike concepts.

"No, I believe that Flick and Luffy can sense people's auras. Like they can tell instantly who is a good person or a bad person." Ace looked at his brother in shock. It sounded plausible. Luffy had always had a good grasp on who was a good person or not. He shied away from the enemies but instantly befriended someone who he knew was to be good. Even when the entire world perceived the person to be bad, Luffy always knew.

"People can do that?" Ace whispered not wanting to admit the possibility. A small smile came to his face remembering the first time he had met Luffy. Luffy knew straight away that he wanted to friends with him, even after everything he did to him back then. Luffy never stopped trying.

"Some call it a sixth sense, I'm not sure if I believe that sort of thing. But seeing the way Flick and Luffy react to something makes me believe in something, right?" Sabo ranted and looked at his brother.

"Sounds like mystery magic, huh?" Ace laughed mimicking Luffy's explanation for anything he doesn't understand. Sabo laughed letting some of his anxiety disappear.

"It's one thing to understand what it is, but it's another to know what is causing it." Sabo spoke letting the tense atmosphere return.

"Teach." Ace growled letting his hands ball into fists in his lap. That was one thing that he had slowly started to piece together. The first time he had seen this reaction from his siblings was the first time they had all eaten in the galley. They had met a lot of people that day, but then it happened again earlier today. She was fine when they started eating, but then when Namur, Vista and Teach came to their table they reacted.

And only when Teach had left did the feeling go away. She had spoken to Namur on several occasions and never reacted, and she spoke to Vista afterwards and seemed to be able handle herself. So that only left one person.

"Teach? Really?" Sabo asked trying to remember the moments they had seen the man around them.

"He's the only one it could be." Ace growled. That man was instantly vowed as untrustworthy in his books. Even though the man hadn't specifically done anything to them. Ace was not going to be letting him get close to his siblings. He wouldn't let his guard down, when that man showed up.

"What do you want to do?" Sabo asked looking at his brother. He knew that Ace was not one to sit back and wait, he was more throw the first punch and ask questions later. He was never one to back out of a battle or a fight.

"We wait. We have no evidence that he is bad, or if he is. But we will watch. And if and when he does step over that line. We attack." Ace spoke firmly looking back out at the window. He watched as the small tails of water slide down his window and disappeared from his sight.

"You want to wait?" Sabo asked a little smug.

"Shut up," Ace smirked and punched Sabo's shoulder.

* * *

Ace stood next to his brother and looked around the deck of the ship. He had never seen so many of the Whitebeard pirates gathered in one place before, sure there were a lot of them that turned up for dinner, but dinner went for hours, and people came and went as they pleased. But right now the entire deck was crowded by pirates all shouting for their favourite team.

He looked over to his brother and found him staring around in disbelief.

"Ready?" Marco spoke with confidence behind them as they stared off against the two other teams that were opposite them.

"We're going to show everyone exactly which team is the best," Sabo spoke and glanced at him with a knowing smirk.

"Too right, brother." Ace smirked back smugly. They were about to give the entire crew a show and they were going to do it with all the style they knew.

"Damn straight." Marco chuckling patting both the boys on the shoulder. He was mighty proud at how the boys had taken to the challenge and pushed through all their training and hard work. In the middle there he thought that he had been pushing them too hard, but then the next day they came back with almost double the determination as before.

The noise quietened down as Whitebeard stood from his chair and moved to the centre of their makeshift arena. As soon as the man rose he commanded the attention of everyone on board.

"Rules." He spoke out loudly amongst the silence of the men; "Each team will have two minutes to spar with another, and it will be judged on a point system. My word is final, shall I deem that a fight is getting out of hand I will stop it. May the best team win." Whitebeard spoke and moved back to his chair at the front of the arena.

"Alright first off we have Team Phoenix vs Team Rubber!" Vista called calling the teams to step forwards.

Ace looked over to Flick and saw her small nod. This was it. This was the moment that they taught everyone a valuable lesson.

They knew that they wouldn't be able to hold out with the commanders for so many rounds, so the first round was going to be it. They were never going to be pit against each other, especially not for a bet.

He felt the wind rush through his body and spur him on. His hands gripped tightly around the cold metal pole in his hands as he itched for the fight to come. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck start to rise in anticipation. Looking over to his youngest brother he could see in the way he bounced on the balls of his feet that he was ready for this fight too. They all were.

"Remember brats, Izo has perfect aim. So move those feet." Marco reminded them for the thousandth time but they nodded. They hadn't spent the last few days gathering intel on their commanders for nothing. They knew the best way, or really the only possible way to take them down and that was simple by surprise. And even if they did catch them off their guard, it was only going to be for a fraction of a moment and no longer. They were going to have to be smart and quick.

They were not idiots, they knew they would never truly be able beat the three strongest commanders aboard the Moby Dick, but they could trick them.

The element of surprise was the only thing going for them at the moment.

Every set of eyes were on Vista as he stepped forwards and looked at both parties at the edge of the arena. Earning a small nod from both commanders he raised his hand high in the air.

"Two minutes, starts now." Vista called and Luffy was the first one to run into the centre of the arena.

"Brat, what did I say about rushing in!" Izo yelled out but it was too late.

"Gomu Gomu Rocket!" Luffy shouted and threw a punch over to their side of the field instantly going for Marco.

Sabo took the signal and ran for it, not missing a beat.

He launched himself into the air and landed on his brother's stretched out arm and ran down the rubber path towards his body.

"Now!" He signalled and Luffy responded by launching Sabo into the air.

"What the!" Izo stood in shock, watching as the boy was suddenly launched right in front of him.

"Did Luffy just help Sabo?" Thatch whispered to Flick who was watching the fight closely.

Sabo was quick to swing his pipe at the man and managed to connect with his shoulder.

"Point Sabo," Vista called surprise laced his voice. The crowd of spectators went nuts and the screams of Sabo's name echoed around the seas.

"Great teaching Izo, your student is helping the wrong tea-." Marco laughed but was cut off by a kick to the stomach sending him backwards. Ace stood grinning with his pipe resting on his shoulder.

"I think you've got the wrong team," Ace taunted.

"Did Ace just attack Marco?" Thatch looked down at Flick and received nothing.

Marco quickly caught on to the trick and launched himself forwards as his flames coated his fist. Ace stood there with one hand on his pipe and the other on his hip with a smug smile on his face.

Marco flew closer and just as he was about to connect with Ace's stomach; he connected with something much harder that forced him to flip backwards. He landed in a defensive crouch and stared forwards at the familiar looking shield.

"Princess not you too!" Thatch glanced down at the girl who had her hand stretched out towards Ace and a smirk on her face.

"You have no idea," she spoke not even looking at him.

Ace grinned from inside the protection of Flick's shield.

"Wolf pack!" Ace yelled and then he was standing back to back with his siblings. Each took a defensive position facing off their commanders. The four of them stood shoulder to shoulder watching each other's backs. This was the way it was meant to be. They were a family, they fought together, and they won together. This is what they wanted to show everyone. They were one unit and nothing in the world was going to change that.

"Princess no, what is this!" Thatch pleaded moving into the arena.

"Game on Thatchy," she taunted.

"Ace, Sabo get back here now." Marco stood up and rubbed his shoulder from where he crashed.

"Don't think so old man," Sabo laughed preparing for the next attack.

"Can we do it now?" Luffy beamed copying his brother's positions.

"Ready, Lu. Over Barrel!" Sabo screamed and suddenly they each disappeared.

Flick appeared behind Marco and she quickly trapped him inside her shield. They knew they had to disarm the strongest and smartest first.

"Flick," he warned crouching low and letting his flames start to take over his body, "Drop the shield, now."

"Bite me Phoenix," she poked her tongue out and laughed as the flames burst at her shield but did not escape. She could almost feel the heat that radiated against her shield. She tried not to wince or to show the sudden surge of power it took to hold back the great Phoenix. And even then she knew that the commander had barely used an inch of his true power. With a quick glance towards Ace they both knew that they were running out of time pretty quickly.

Sabo ran towards Izo with his pipe raised. He saw Izo react quickly but not quick enough.

Luffy ran to the outskirts of the arena and waited for the signal. When Sabo yelled out he quickly stretched his arms to his brother who was in mid-air, arms raised at the sharp shooter, and pulled him away from Izo's attack and threw him towards the last unsuspecting guardian.

"Surprise!" Sabo grinned as he was pulled back from Izo's swing and thrown directly to Thatch. Thatch copped a pipe to the head and stumbled backwards not see the flying boy that was flung towards him from out of nowhere.

Ace saw his window of opportunity and swung at the sharp shooter. He grinned seeing the commander turn quickly and deflect his attack.

"Still not quick enough boy," Izo smirked.

"Maybe, but I'm the decoy." Ace grinned and then Flick appeared in the air above and landed on Izo forcing him to the ground and effectively knocking the wind out of him.

"I was the attacker," she grinned kneeling on the man's back using her shield to keep him down.

Ace was quick to pull her up and she threw her shield around the both of them, blocking Izo's quick retaliation.

Marco was furious as he banged on the shield, watching as his brothers were being tricked by a bunch of brats. He knew he could escape if he truly wanted to, but he also knew that Flick could feel a fraction of the damage that was done to her shield, more of an itch. But if he were to truly break out he knew it would hurt her.

"Always be on your guard," he turned quickly but not quickly enough to see the shield disappear and Sabo appear with a bucket of water.

Sabo threw the sea water on the man and then he was granted with the safety of Flicks protection.

Marco looked over his shoulder and could see his brothers looking back at him. Springing to their feet they swapped positions, now they stood back to back and faced off as the four brats surrounded them on the outskirts of the arena.

They were being mocked by a bunch of brats. Shaking off most of the water he groaned feeling the slight effects of the sea water clutching at his body and clothes. They were smart he'd give them that, but not as smart as them.

"Seems we need to teach the brats another lesson," Thatch smirked cracking his knuckles.

"Indeed, they need to learn to respect their superiors." Izo stared down the duo in the bubble.

"You guys are too old, too slow and too dumb." Ace taunted resting his pipe on his shoulder.

"You really expected us to be used in your little war?" Sabo added copying his brother.

"Never again will you underestimate us," Octavia flanked Ace and let her shield dissolve ready for the next wave of attacks.

"Yeah," Luffy added with his famous grin.

"Each guardian takes on their own brats?" Marco spoke and earned a nod from his brothers. They were each going to show their little students exactly what it meant to mess with their teachers.

"I don't think so," Sabo called and bent down low. "Flick- Phase two!" he yelled springing into the air.

Everyone watched in amazement as Sabo didn't land, instead he was inside a bubble and soaring higher in the air and towards the wooden mast above. His hands reached the beam and he pulled himself onto it.

"Lu!" Ace called and Luffy reacted quickly and sent a punch towards his awaiting brother. Ace grabbed onto his wrist and planted himself into the ground and yanked onto his arms. Luffy's body was snatched from his spot and coiled to land right next to Ace and Octavia's position.

Luffy tucked himself in and Ace was quick to throw him into the air and into Sabo's awaiting arms.

"Got ya Princess."

Flick disappeared and reappeared facing Thatch as he tried to lunge for her. She crouched low and a growl escaped her lips.

"Flick!" she didn't need to turn as she caught Ace's weapon that was thrown towards her. She wielded it with all the skills that her brother's had taught her. Thatch relied on her powers in training, never had he taught her weapons training; and that was going to be his downfall.

"Bring it sister," Thatch removed one of his still sheathed blades and squared off with her. She scoffed at the notion. He didn't even want to fight her properly.

Running forwards she lifted her arms, a battle cry escaped her mouth as she neared the man with her weapon held high in the air.

"First rule never charge ahead," Thatch mocked her seeing every flaw in her actions. But then she disappeared. "Fuck," he groaned forgetting that little party trick he turned quickly to try and spot her when he felt another blow to the head.

"First rule, never take your eyes off the enemy." Octavia smirked from behind the man.

"Maybe you should listen to your own rule," two hands grabbed her shoulders and she was quickly turned and faced off Izo.

"Agreed!" Ace yelled and appeared out of thin air and swung at the man causing him to flinch backwards and away from the attack. He landed next to Flick who had barely reacted to the attack.

"How did you…" Izo stuttered not sure what he saw.

"Let's go." Ace grabbed Flick's hand and then they both disappeared.

Izo stared at Thatch who was watching the whole thing with wide eyes. Ace had appeared out of thin air and then they both disappeared just as quick.

"Where'd they go?" Marco snapped moving to his brother's sides once more.

"Up here you big dumb dumbs," Luffy laughed from atop of the nearest mast.

"Flick," Sabo called out when she appeared next to him. They looked down at the three commanders below seeing their entire plan work out perfectly.

"Let's do this," Octavia grinned and disappeared leaving Ace and Sabo at one end of the mast. She reappeared next to Luffy who was still taunting the men below. She could see Marco trying to force his phoenix form but with the salt water still coating his body and clothes he couldn't perform the shift.

"Now!" Sabo commanded and they each grabbed onto the rope beneath their feet and tugged onto it releasing the sail. They watched as the heavy material fell with forced and landed directly on the three commanders below.

"We did it!" Luffy jumped up and down on the thing wooden beam.

The eruptions of the pirates below caused four very proud brats to stand a little taller.

Octavia grabbed Luffy's hand and appeared in the centre of the mast where Sabo and Ace had moved to.

They watched with smiles on their faces as the three commanders struggled to get free of the large heavy sail. When they were finally free they each glared up at them.

"Get back down here and fight properly!" Thatch yelled shaking his fists.

"Give it up, we beat your fair and square!" Sabo poked his tongue out causing the man to growl.

"That was a dirty trick!" Izo called out but he couldn't keep the small proud smile off his face.

"We're Pirates," Luffy yelled back.

"Maybe now you will get it. We are the Wolf Pack and no one will ever try to separate us or underestimate us again." Ace declared and earned a loud cheer from the rest of the pirates. He had to admit using Thatch's homemade nickname for them, gave him that extra bit of gloat he was after.

Whitebeard stared at the four children with an amused smile. He knew that he should have been surprised at the turn of the events, but he wasn't. After the last month of observing the four brats he knew that they were inseparable. And no matter if it was a pretend battle or a true one, he knew that the four of them would never be torn apart. They were one unit.

And as Ace had clearly put it they were a Wolf Pack.

The Whitebeard Wolf Pack.

He chuckled to himself, very much liking the name for the four newcomers that would most likely wreak havoc on the unsuspecting world.

"But who wins the bet?" A loud voice shouted amongst the crowd.

"I demand my money back!" Another shout.

"Well actually," Vista stepped forwards with the small barrel of money; "We do have a winner," he groaned and held the winnings up to is Captain.

"What no way!" Thatch shouted pointing at his Pops.

"You're a fool if you didn't see that coming," Whitebeard laughed looking down at the all the stash he had collected. He had never once taken part in the betting life of his crew, but this time he just couldn't pass up the chance to bet on the four of them.

Octavia stared down at the captain as he collected the winnings on the bet.

"He bet on us?" Sabo whispered looking to his brother.

"Old geezer is nuts." Ace shook his head.

"Come down here brats," Whitebeard called out and watched as the four of them grabbed onto the rope and swung down onto the deck.

"I believe a congratulations is in order." He stood up and walked towards them. He could see how exhausted the four of them were, particularly Octavia. She had pushed herself the most with that power of hers, and even he had to admit they impressed him.

"Here you go," he held out the winner's barrel to her.

"But…" Octavia whispered seeing the load of money in her hands.

"You four were very impressive." The man whispered; "Next time we dock, buy whatever you like." He winked at the four astonished faces before standing tall.

"Tonight we celebrate the winners, the Whitebeard Wolf Pack is truly a force to be reckoned with." He announced and earned a huge roar of cheers and shouts from the crew.

"Whitebeard Wold Pack?" Luffy grinned up at his brothers loving their little title.

"Sounds pretty good," Sabo stood a little taller.

"Sounds stupid." Ace added.

"Sounds Fucken badass." Octavia added with a laugh.

"Language." She winced feeling a slap to the back of her head.

"Hey!" she turned and glared at the three commanders behind her. "Hi," she quickly dropped the attitude and faced off three very neutral men.

"Are you mad?" she whispered not wanting to be yelled at.

"Of course not Princess," Thatch quickly pulled her onto his shoulder, causing her to giggle.

"Actually we're quite proud of you four." Marco added, causing Ace and Sabo to almost faint.

"You four showed a hell of amount of loyalty to each. Quite inspiring actually, but next time. You will listen to us." Marco ended on a serious note.

"Next time you will not pit us against one another for money." Ace added with the same amount of seriousness.

"Stubborn little shits," Marco stepped forwards and instantly pulled the two boys upside down by their ankles.

"Language!" Luffy mimicked what he thought was something that sounded like Marco.

"Why you little," Izo laughed and forced Luffy into the same position as his brothers.

"I'm hungry!" he laughed gripping onto his hat making sure it didn't fall off.

"Time for dinner." Thatch grinned and led the group towards the galley where he could already hear his brothers starting the celebrations.

"So when did you learn to flicker other people?" Thatch bounced the girl on his shoulder but all he got was a sly giggle in response.

* * *

_**Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting.**_

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**Well there it is, what did you think?  
**

**Teach is back. Training is paying off ;) **

**Next up - The Wolf packs first island visit :D**

**Thanks again guys **

**xx **


	11. Chapter 11 - First Island Adventure

**Hey there everyone, **

**Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviews :D I try to answer most of your questions, so if you do have questions or queries please ask :D**

**Enjoy!**

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_**"The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."**_

* * *

"The disappear disappear fruit?" Sabo added with a smile on his face.

"Too long," Ace grumbled rejecting yet another suggestion.

Currently they were sitting around a table in the galley with sour looks on their faces. They were trying to come up with a special name for Flick's powers. Since they didn't know what fruit she had eaten it was making it difficult to know what to call it.

And this all started when Luffy asked the simple question; what's your devil fruit called… So now they were all trying to improvise a name. Even some of the other pirates who walked past their table threw in their own suggestions, but nothing was fitting.

"Ghost Ghost fruit?" Luffy beamed throwing his hands in the air.

"She's not dead Lu," Sabo added and Luffy frowned.

"The shield shield fruit?" She asked not really sure if that would summarise her overall power.

"But you can flicker too, that doesn't make full sense." Ace sighed. This was getting them nowhere.

"You really don't remember eating a devil fruit? Can't remember what it looked like?" Sabo asked getting frustrated that they couldn't come up with a simple name.

"Nope, since forever I've been able to create my shield and flicker. Must have been when I was a baby." She sighed. It never really bothered her that she didn't know the name of her powers, but now that Luffy had to go and mention it, it was nagging at the back of her mind. She wanted to know what devil fruit she had eaten and she wanted to know more about it. Was there more to her power that she didn't even know about. What if she could do something really awesome but she just didn't know about it yet.

The four of them sighed and looked down at the piece of paper in the centre of the table. Not a single name that was written on the paper would work for her.

"What's up wolf pack?" Thatch appeared and sat down at the head of the table.

"What's a good name for my devil fruit?" she asked looking at the man hopefully.

"Your devil fruit?" he scratched the back of his head. Maybe asking Thatch was not the best person to be asking. Maybe they should have asked Marco or Namur, they were smart people.

"The princess princess fruit." He laughed as he earned four scowls from them; "Okay okay, just kidding."

"How about the shield shield fruit?" he asked with excitement. But he didn't get the round of smiles and cheers that he was hoping for.

"But she can flicker too," Sabo sighed already been through this.

"Well maybe she ate two devil fruits." Luffy grumbled not liking that none of the ideas were working.

She looked at Luffy with a whole new level of shock. He stayed sitting in his spot picking at the small muffins that were in front of him not even knowing what he had just said. He was still grumbling to himself as he picked at the muffin and put it in his mouth.

"Luffy," Sabo whispered in shock.

"Two devil fruits? Is that even possible?" she asked looking at Thatch.

"I don't know, I mean I assume it's possible. I think." He scratched his head and looked around the galley for someone else who might have insight on this predicament they were having.

"Marco!" Thatch yelled out seeing his brother walking through the doors with his Pops behind him. This was perfect.

"What is it?" Marco asked taking a seat next to the youngest and taking one of the muffins.

"We're trying to come up with a name for Flick's devil fruit power," Sabo reiterated.

"Mister Whitebeard, have you ever heard of my power before?" Octavia asked looking at the captain. He had been around for so many more years than she had, he had to know of something.

"Well, I have heard of the Barrier Barrier fruit, but I believe there is a young boy who has taken that fruit." Whitebeard looked down at the small list the group had come up with, and he knew of half of those fruits, but he also knew of the people who had eaten them.

"Can people eat two fruits?" Sabo asked going back to Luffy's sudden brain wave.

"It is possible. Dangerous but possible." Whitebeard sat down at the head of the table; "If a person was to say eat two logia types fruits, I assume the human body would not be able to withstand that type of cell degeneration. But if they were to eat a logia and a paramecia fruit, than I could see this as a possibility." He explained to not only the brats but to everyone around who had gathered.

"So what am I?" Octavia looked at the captain needing some kind of answer. She didn't want to be in the unclassified section of her mind, she wanted to be able to call her fruit something.

"A devil fruit does not define what you are my dear, and for your power." He smiled down at her, "I believe your old friend had already given you a name, the Flick Flick fruit." He laughed.

"Flick Flick fruit," she spoke the name and thought back to Tatsumi. She remembered the day he had started calling her Flick. It was one of the first days she felt any sense of happiness.

"Suits you Flick," Ace smiled at her giving her his nod of approval. She beamed at him and then to the others around her.

"So can you flick boogers?" Luffy asked already sticking his pinkie up his nose.

"Stop that," Marco slapped the back of his head and he whined pulling his finger out. "Now go wash your hands."

* * *

"Land Annoy!" Luffy shouted standing at the top of the wide figure head. His hand was clutching at the rope while the other was holding his hat firmly on his head as the wind blew past.

"It's land ahoy, idiot." Sabo laughed seeing his brother's confused face.

"How do you expect to be a pirate when you don't even know the words?" Thatch walked up behind them with a grin on his face.

"Shut up," Luffy grumbled pulling the front of the straw hat down to cover his embarrassed eyes.

"Ready for your first town visit?" Thatch pulled himself to sit next to train of kids on top of the massive whale head.

"Yep," they each grinned widely at the man. It had been quite the fight when they had first heard about the upcoming visit to a new island. Marco was quick to respond with a solid no. Followed by Thatch and then followed by Izo. None of their guardians were even budging a little on the prospect of them going ashore.

That was until they snuck off one day and found Whitebeard alone in his office. With two small bouts of puppy dog eyes, and two promises to stay close to their commanders, the captain was quick to agree.

To say the guardians were furious was an understatement.

Marco then went on by reading them their rights, if they dared cross him even for a second they would be confined to their bedrooms for a month with only trips to the infirmary where Lia would be there waiting to give them all kinds of shots and vaccinations.

Octavia stared out at the island shore as it came closer to the ship. She couldn't remember the last time she had stepped foot on an island. As far back as she could remember she was stuck on a ship or in a cage, she often could see the islands from a small hole in the ship but she was never taken aboard.

"You okay Princess?" Thatch pulled the frowning girl into his lap and got a weak smile and nod; "Been a while huh?" he spoke looking at the sandy beach that was coming closer.

"We're going to have so much fun!" Luffy cheered looking back and forth between her and the island.

"Just no leaving our sight, remember." Thatch reminded them for the thousandth time.

"Promise," Octavia whispered finally letting a smile grace her face. She would be okay as long as she had her brothers and Thatch by her side.

"We're here!" Luffy bounded off the front of the ship and onto the sand below as soon as the boat slowed.

"Luffy!" Izo roared seeing the boy disappear off the front of the boat.

"No fair." Luffy stretched his arms back onto the railing of the ship and pulled himself to sit on the wooden beam pouting.

"Don't screw this up," Sabo whacked the back of his head.

"Sorry," Luffy remarked but the smile on his face showed exactly how sorry he was.

"Alright brats, let's get this over with." Marco appeared with four coats and handed one to each of them.

"Do we really have to wear them?" Ace grumbled not liking the first part of the agreement that they were forced into.

"Yes, for one thing, you each have too many distinguishing features. Second you will burn if you do not cover up." Marco smiled at the only girl who was quick to pull the coat over her head and lift the hood.

"Izo?" she pleaded after trying several times to stuff her iconic red hair behind the hood. Frowning she looked at the man who quickly moved to her side and braided her hair down her back.

"Perfect," she thanked the man as he pulled the hood over her head and safely tucked her hair beneath it.

"Ready," Luffy grinned trying to hurry everyone along.

"We need to wait for the scouting team to return. And then we can leave." Marco reminded the youngest for what seemed like the hundredth time this hour about what would happen.

"Excited little ones?" Octavia turned and saw Whitebeard walking towards them.

"Yes sir," she smiled at him.

Whitebeard sat down on his large chair and patted his shoulder. With a giggle Octavia disappeared from Thatch's lap and onto the giants shoulder.

"Will you be coming too Mister Whitebeard?" she asked sweetly.

"Not today my child," he patted her hand as she rested it on his head; "But I will be watching you from here."

"The whole time?" she whispered letting a little bit of anxiety show.

"Yes my dear, I will be watching over all of you." He pulled her down into his lap and she grinned up at him. Those words he spoke to her over and over seemed to calm her down enormously.

Whenever she was scared, or got that bad feeling, he would always be watching her. She knew that the man wouldn't let anything happen to her or her brothers. The strongest man alive had sworn to protect them and she believed him with all her heart. And one day, hopefully she would be able to repay the man for the kindness that he has shown towards them.

"Time to go Princess," Thatch appeared and she jumped from Whitebeard's lap into Thatch's awaiting arms.

"Nice catch," she laughed hearing Thatch's grunt.

"Be back before nightfall." Whitebeard ordered trying not to show the small bit of worry he held for the young ones. He watched as the three divisions left the ship and headed towards the island with the Whitebeard Wolf pack all covered up protected.

Octavia followed her youngest brothers cue's and flung off her shoes the moment her feet hit the sand. She grinned widely feeling the warm sand crunch between her toes. Looking down she could see how pale her skin was against the contrast of the golden sand. It had been so long since she had felt like this.

To feel free.

To be free.

"Flick," she looked up and saw Sabo staring at her with concern littering his face.

"Come on slow pokes!" Luffy beamed already way ahead of them along the beach and running straight for the water. Sabo held out a hand to her and she was quick to grab hold.

"Should we go save him before he drowns himself?" she nodded. They disappeared and reappeared right in front of Luffy, causing him to fall back on his butt and laugh.

"Don't go running off remember." Ace snarled looking down at his little brother. The last thing he wanted was to completely obey the Pineapple's rules, but it was better than being sent back to the ship and not being able to come ashore at all.

"Let's build a sand castle!" Luffy quickly pulled on his hand and dragged him towards the water.

Octavia sat down in the warm sand and looked out over the water. She never thought she would be here again, let alone be able to sit on a beach with brothers and her freedom.

She glanced back at the ship and she could see Whitebeard staring at them. She waved to the man and he waved back. Giggling to herself she looked back at her brothers who had managed to build something that sort of looked like a castle.

Looking down the end of the beach she could see their guardians watching over them carefully, but they gave them enough space to play and explore on their own which she was grateful for. Occasionally she had seen Marco phase into his phoenix form and circle above them high in the sky, but then he would land back next to his brothers and everything was normal.

"Luffy, hood." She heard Sabo warn Luffy again about his cover falling off. With a sigh Luffy obeyed his brother and continued with making his sand castle. Ace sat down next to her with a small content smile on his face as he watched the two play in the sand.

"It's so peaceful," she whispered still staring out at the waves as they crashed against the sand. Right now, nothing else mattered. Not the past, not the future, nothing. They were at peace.

"Minus the loud laughter and remarks from Luffy and it might be," Ace laughed not really meaning it at all.

Their paradise was quickly cut short when the commanders headed towards them. They knew that the time out here wouldn't last forever, but these few hours were definitely more than any of them had bargained for.

"Who wants to go into town for lunch?" Thatch spoke and caused four faces to snap to him.

"Are you serious?" Sabo asked not sure that he had heard correctly.

"There are rules, first, you will stay by our sides and you will not move more than a few feet from our reach." Marco spoke firmly and earned four quick nods; "Better yet, Luffy do not let go of Izo's hand."

Luffy grumbled but was quick to move to his guardian's side and held up his hand in protest.

"Do not speak to anyone other than us," Marco added. The last thing he wanted was for one of them, meaning Luffy, to shout out his name to someone. "And lastly, do not break anything." He sighed knowing that his wallet was going to take a hit if he let those three boys anywhere near a fragile place. Flick he had no concerns with what so ever, the boys were a completely different story.

"Alright let's go!" Thatch reached forwards and pulled Octavia from the sand and onto his shoulders. Laughing she looked back to the ship and waved goodbye to Whitebeard. But that's when she noticed the other nurses crowded around the man. Was he sick too?

As Marco lead the group into the small town, Octavia kept her eyes wide taking in absolutely everything. They walked through a row of market stalls and she eyed off the goods they were selling. She remembered their earnings from the challenge and her mind went crazy with the thoughts of what to spend it on.

"Izo," Luffy spoke tugging on the man's sleeve; "Can we look over there?" he asked pointing towards the weapons section.

"After lunch," Izo pulled on his hood making sure it was covering every part of the young boys face and quickly grabbed his hand. The last thing he wanted was to lose the youngest and loudest of the wolf pack.

"Can I have some meat?" he whispered earning a chuckle from the others.

"If you're good," Izo responded.

By the time they got to a restaurant the streets were crawling with people. They sat down at a back table and made sure that the kids were all in the centre, blocked in by the commanders. Octavia sat on the bench but her eyes were out the window and looking at the marketplace. Her eyes danced around staring at the shiny objects at the store in front of her. She could see a whole range of different combs and clips for her hair.

"We can look after Princess," Thatch promised, and turned her around and back towards the plate of food that she had barely touched. They had made sure to request that all her food was plain and without spices. She sighed but started to pick at her food, it was nothing compared to what Lyon would make for her, but it would do. She wanted to explore the city, she wanted to see all those beautiful things in the marketplace up close.

"Remember you don't have to spend all your winnings in one place," Izo held onto the bag of money that the brats had won. He wouldn't be giving it to them at all, he would wait until they found something they wanted, and then he would make sure that they would get the right price for whatever it was. There was no way in hell he was letting those brats wonder off to buy something and get completely ripped off. Especially if the owner saw the bag of money.

Luffy was scoffing down plate after plate of meat not really listening to a single thing the commanders were telling them. He looked over his large plate and sighed when all his meat had been eaten. He stared at the greens on his plate with hatred, he only wanted meat.

Glancing a plate over, he noticed Flick's eyes back out the window behind her. Grinning he let his hand creep closer to her plate. When his hand was about to connect with the meat his saw it move closer to him. Looking up he saw his sister smiling at him. He quickly grabbed her biggest chunk and flung it back to his plate. She was the only one who didn't stab at him when he was still hungry, well not all the time.

"Saw that," Izo whispered down to him but he ignored him and continued chewing on the stick of meat.

Marco was busy trying to explain how the markets worked and how you never take the first offered price. The people at these types of places always overpriced everything hoping to cheat some unsuspecting fool out of all their money.

"What do you want to buy boys?" Marco asked the two oldest.

"Weapons."

"Books."

Both looked at each other and grinned. Whenever they had ventured back in their city, Sabo was the one who wanted to steal as many books or charts as possible, while Ace wanted anything he could fight with.

"A new weapon would be nice actually," Sabo added. His pipe that he had found in some room of the ship was shaping up to be an okay weapon, but it was smaller than what he was used to and it was already showing dints and scuff marks from their spars. He wanted something that would last through any fight, something that he could rely on not breaking in the midst of a battle. But he really did love the pipe, it was something of sentimental value that he treasured.

"Weapons? Really? What about toys, clothes or sweets, or how about a drawing set?" Izo added trying to keep the children as children.

"What would we want toys for?" Ace scoffed. He didn't ever remember owning a toy in his life and her wasn't about to start now. What was the point in having a toy? It did nothing, it didn't feed him, or defend him; it just sat there doing nothing.

"I like your clothes Izo," Octavia smiled earning a few points from the man. No one liked his personalised designer clothes.

"Suck up," Ace smirked earning a glare from the redhead.

"Well thank you Flick, I'll be sure to pick up some more material on our way back. Any colour preferences kids?" He directed to each of them.

"Red,"

"Blue please,

"Orange,"

"Green," Octavia added at the end with a grin.

"Done." Izo smiled already planning a few outfits out in his head.

It took every bit of Ace's willpower to stay within reach of Marco's side, as soon as they entered the marketplace it was a gold mine. There were so many stalls with weapons and gadgets that caught his eye, it was actually hard for him to keep his excitement at bay. He knew that they each had quite a bit of money to spend and he wanted to buy something, anything really.

He never had a lot of money in life, hell the small bits he had managed to steal was enough for maybe a loaf of bread or a bowl of soup. And then the small bits of money they had was put towards their pirate fund.

But now he would be able to buy something for himself, he didn't have to worry about spending it on his brothers first, because they were getting their own share as well.

Sabo stood next to him with the same level of excitement running over his face.

"We could earn so much money here," Sabo whispered to his brother seeing the realisation hit him. He could see targets walking, left, right, and centre, and all of them were casually placing their wads of money inside their large pockets.

It was a pick pockets dream.

"Think of it, we could buy almost anything here." Ace grinned but then they both gasped when they were both whacked on the back of head.

"No stealing, you have enough money." Marco snapped, causing both boys to hold the forming lumps on the backs of their head.

"Pineapple head over there!" Luffy interrupted by screaming out and tugging on the man's hand. With a small nod from Marco, Luffy dragged the group over to a large looking store that had two swords hanging from the roof.

"Do not touch anything brat or so help me," Marco warned earing an enthusiastic nod from the boy.

Octavia followed the group in with her hand tucked safely in Thatch's large one. Ever since they left the restaurant she clutched onto the man's hand and her body stayed close, feeling a lot less anxious knowing that he was holding onto her.

Her eyes wondered over to a wall of large weapons until they stopped on one particular one. She tugged on Thatch's hand and she walked over to the wall lined with different types of weapons.

"See something you like?" he whispered down at her. There was one thing that Thatch had noticed since they arrived in town. Octavia didn't speak when anyone else was around, at lunch it was a few words here and there but only when no one was in listening range. She nodded yes or no but that was all. It seemed that the Whitebeard crew had gained the girl's trust, but the world had not.

Her eyes locked onto a dark wooden bow that hung in front of her eyes. She slowly lifted her hand to the wood and she could feel how strong but smooth it was. On the front of it there was a large green gem, but there was a long crack in it. She wondered how such a gem could actually receive a blow like that and not be completely shattered.

"Do you like it?" Thatch crouched down beside her and looked over the way too large weapon. He was not one for bows and arrows, he was more a swords and blades kind of man, and there wasn't a man on board their crew who used one. But the look in her eyes showed the admiration she had for it.

Octavia looked around the store and could see that the owners were busy with her brothers and the others.

"I don't know how to use it," she whispered to Thatch.

"We could find someone to help Princess, Izo is a damn good shot at almost every ranged weapon. I'm sure he's used one of these at some point in his life." She nodded her head.

"I think it would really suit your style. You would be able to flicker all over a field and fire from every advantage shot. No one would be able to touch you, and it also means less hand to hand combat. Which would keep your brothers, guardians and Pops' heartrate down just a little." Thatch laughed.

"May I help you with this?" A large man stepped forwards and Octavia instantly moved to hide herself behind his leg; "You have excellent tastes sir, this is a one of a kind god oak bow, created three hundred years ago and has yet to break. The wood is said to be forged from an ancient tree that is blessed by the god's themselves."

"We will take it and two complete sets of arrows." Thatch stood tall and he then towered over the man who gulped.

"Excellent sir, that would be a total cost of-"

"We will negotiate when my brothers have finished selecting theirs, shall we." Thatch smirked seeing the owner tremble. That was always a good way to get an honest price, show the owner that they meant business.

"Very well sir, I will get this wrapped for you." The owner quickly took down the weapon and headed to the front of the store.

"Did you hear that Flick, the bow is blessed by the gods," Thatch laughed and watched her roll her eyes.

"Look," she whispered pointing to the back room where the man was currently wrapping her weapon. She could see a whole barrel full of the same type of weapon as the one she just brought. Probably a gimmick to try and get a higher price. Thatch burst out laughing.

"What a tool," he picked up her hand and stood back up. "Come on let's see what the others have found."

"I want this one." Luffy pointed to the largest weapon on the wall.

"No, that's too big." Izo sighed for the tenth time.

"Then I want this one." He pointed to the next weapon along.

"Luffy, do you even know what that is?" he sighed rubbing the back of his neck; "How about pistols?" Izo suggested.

"No, that's your weapon." He moved on from that wall and headed to the next.

"Wait." Luffy stopped in the middle of the room with his arms out dramatically. He turned to face the sharp shooter.

"I don't want a weapon." He grinned up at the man; "I don't need one. I have my own weapon." He whispered the last part to Izo.

"Then what do you want to spend your money on?" he sighed.

"Meat."

"No."

"But Izo I want meat."

"No."

"Fine," Luffy side walking over to his brothers to see what they were looking at.

"Are you sure Ace?" Marco glanced down at the boy who was staring at a slab of blacksmith metal.

"Would they be able to?" he looked up at the commander with a hopeful glee in his eyes.

"Our blacksmiths are some of the best, I'm sure they would be able to create a pipe for you." Marco rolled his eyes. This was not what he was expecting from the young brat. He thought he would go for the heaviest looking weapon in the shop just to prove that he was strong. But here he was asking to design his own weapon. One that mimicked their pipes back home.

"I want four. One for each of us." He looked up at Marco and he nodded.

"There will be enough material there to make one for each of you." He ruffled the boy's hair and for once he didn't get a cold hard glare in return; "Plus this is some of the strongest metal here, it will definitely be able to handle the likes of you four." Marco laughed earning a glare from the two boys.

"Sabo, how about you?" Marco turned to the boy who was looking wide eyed at a set of goggles in a glass case.

"These," he pointed at the glass and then looked back at him.

"Alright."

"Are you sure we'll have enough?" Sabo's excitement quickly turned to concern seeing the weapons and materials that they had all selected.

"It will be fine, you get what you want brat." Marco patted his shoulder but the smile did not return like he had thought it would.

"We don't need charity," Sabo spoke with a hard look.

"Trust me kiddo this ain't charity. Izo will get all of this for the amount of gold you four have. And then enough for a little extra too." Thatch laughed coming up from behind them.

"Promise?" Sabo asked earning a nod from each of the commanders.

"Alright then, thank you." He turned back to the glass case and his smile returned. He had lost his lucky set of goggles back at Dawn Island when they were captured. Only his hat had managed to survive, and that was a miracle itself.

"Everyone got what they want?" Thatch asked looking at each other them. Everyone nodded part from Luffy who had a grumpy look on his face with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Izo said no meat." He grumbled.

"Don't worry Lu, I've got you the perfect weapon." Ace pulled his brother into a head lock and ruffled his hair.

"Really Ace!"

"Yep," he released him only to be tackled to the ground.

"Thank you Ace! I couldn't think what to buy." He laughed.

"Commanders…" all heads snapped to a pirate rushing through the store.

"What is it Jack?" Marco asked seeing the concern over the young pirates face.

"Marines spotted on the south sir," he panted.

"Take them back to the ship, I will finish up here and see you back there." Marco looked back at Thatch and Izo who were quick to scoop them up.

Octavia was sitting on Thatch's shoulders as Izo had Luffy tucked under his arm as they walked a fast pace heading straight to the ship. She kept her eyes on her brothers who were walking between the two commanders. Their eyes all searching the crowds for any sign of the standard white uniform of the marines.

She clutched tighter to her hood making sure she was completely covered and buried her face into Thatch's hair. She didn't want to go back. She didn't want them to find her.

"Almost there Princess," he whispered feeling her slight tremble above him.

"There's the ship, see there's Pops too." Her head snapped up and she noticed the absence of the marketplace, and staring right in front of her was the beach they were sitting at before. Looking ahead she could see the captain standing at the edge of the ship with his bisento standing tall beside him.

Ready for anything.

"Mister Whitebeard," she whispered as he locked his sights on them.

"Flick!" Thatch called out feeling her weight disappear from his shoulders.

She appeared on the large man's shoulder and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're home now Octavia, there is nothing to fear." The man pulled her from his shoulder and into his chest where she clutched onto his large white coat.

"I know," she whispered, but still did not let go.

"Did you have fun my dear," he walked away from the edge of the ship and back to his chair. Sitting down he rested his weapon beside him and looked down at the young girl who had managed to compose herself.

"Yes thank you," she grinned up at him.

"Octavia, don't you ever do that again." Thatch came storming on board; "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Or worse, grey hairs!"

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Little warning next time Princess, it's all I ask." He sat down on a crate and reached for the sake bottle.

"Whitebeard guess what…" Luffy was quick to launch himself next to his sister and began telling the captain every little detail of their trip ashore.

* * *

"Lyon!" Octavia grinned, appearing on her usual spot in the kitchen. It was late in the afternoon and she left the boys to join the crew in their celebrations. But tonight she was with Lyon and she was learning a new recipe with all the supplies the crew had picked up that day.

"Evening little lady, you ready?" he spoke with excitement causing her to giggle. They were making a feast of baked goods tonight and she couldn't wait.

"First rule?" Lyon spoke holding up his finger.

"Hands," she grinned appearing to stand on her stool to reach the sink.

"Excellent." Lyon laughed moving to pull out all the pots and pans they would need for tonight's masterpieces. He had an entire range of recipes to make for the little group of theirs.

They both worked through the evening and into the night as they made batch after batch of cookies and cupcakes, all different sweats for the crew to enjoy. He was never one to making such things, he never thought that a tough group of pirates would want the simple pleasantries of cupcakes, or cookies. And most the time they didn't care for it either, all they wanted was a hot meal and a barrel of alcohol and they were satisfied.

That was until Octavia walked around with a tray full of muffins and handed them out to everyone. At first no one had the heart to say no to the little girl and ate one, but now they were all but demanding the next batch of muffins.

Octavia was currently on decoration duty and she was personalizing a cupcake each for her brothers as well as the guardians.

"Is that a bird?" Lyon smirked looking over her shoulder at the blob of yellow icing.

"No, it's a pineapple." She grinned picking up the green bowl and adding the small leafy stems at the top of the blob.

"I'm sure he will love it," he eyed off each of her cupcakes and could sort of make out what they each were, at least he could tell who they were intending for. That was until he noticed one with a love heart. It was clear as anything, but he couldn't work out who it was going to be for. He was assuming it was for Thatch, but he could make out a crown on one of them.

"This one?" he questioned pointing to the red love heart letting his curiosity get the better of him.

"Um," she put down the pipe and quickly pulled the cupcake in her hands as though it was her most precious possession. Not able to find her words she shoved her hands forwards and towards him.

"For me?" he mumbled in surprise.

"Yes," she whispered softly as she blushed.

"Thank you Octavia," he gentle took the cupcake from her hands and looked at the well sculptured heart. He could see all the little spoon marks forcing the icing into its right spots. She had worked very hard to make sure that it looked like a love heart. He didn't dare want to eat it, he wanted it preserve it for ever if he could.

"You helped me when I was sick and couldn't eat, you saved me." She whispered looking up at him.

"Thatch saved me too and Mister Whitebeard and Marco, but you helped too." She mumbled biting her bottom lip in hesitation; "Thank you."

Lyon wanted to sigh in content. Here was the same girl that had been so fearful and now she was making everyone a personalised cupcake to say thank you. He had to be honest with himself, he hadn't thought that he played a too important role in their lives other than to feed them when they were hungry. But seeing the carefully made heart he knew that this little girl saw him differently.

"Seeing you happy is all the thanks I need," he smiled at the still blushing girl. And then their moment was interrupted by the sound of the timer going off. Giggling she hopped off her stool and pulled on her overly large oven mitts.

* * *

"One cup," Thatch whispered sliding a mug over to the boys who were sitting around a barrel in the middle of the deck.

Ace grinned at the man and quickly took the mug and slid it behind himself and Sabo. Hiding it from all peering eyes, epically Marco's.

"Thanks," Sabo whispered looking around the ship before taking a drink from the mug. It was rum, something that he had never tasted before. Thatch had offered to get them some Sake but the three of them quickly shook their heads. Sake was not a drink that was for casual drinking, not for them anyways.

Thatch sighed getting frustrated that he still didn't know the reasoning behind the sake, but gave up and got them a bottle of rum instead. He knew that Marco was going to have a heart attack when he realises that they were drinking. But right now he didn't care too much. They were their mini Whitebeard Pirates, and so he was going to treat them like ones.

"How long until the pipes will be ready?" Sabo asked looking at his brother. When he had first heard about his plans he couldn't help but feel excited. The four of them were each going to have their own weapon, their own pipe. He couldn't wait to get them and then to stop off at the next jungle island. It would remind him of their childhood home, and he couldn't wait.

"At least a week," Ace grinned tearing the mug away from Luffy who was using his powers to take double portions of their drink. "I can't wait to get back to training with them."

"Can we go fishing again?" Luffy beamed looking at his brothers. His face was already growing pink from the alcohol he had consumed. He was such a light weight even for a kid.

"Of course." Ace looked up a clear sky and tried very hard to keep the smile off his face. He was happy. He looked around at the a horde of pirates who were all lunging around the deck of the Moby Dick, each of them with ridiculous smiles on their faces and pink tinged cheeks.

Times like this really proved to him that the Whitebeard Pirates were more than just a crew, they were a family. Each and every one of them looked out for each other, there was no scrambling for the best weapon, or challenging another for even a scrap of food at meal times. This was a true family.

A yawn broke out from Luffy as he leant up against the mast behind him. He had a fun day and he couldn't wait for their next adventure. He wished they could have spent more time on the island exploring more, but even he had to admit when they were told that there were marines on the island he did feel a little scared. He didn't want to admit it to his brothers or to their guardians but he wanted to be as far away from them as possible.

He remembered looking over at his sister and seeing that fear return in her eyes. He never wanted to see his sister scared like that again. He would protect her. Even if it meant facing the marines. But he would do it.

Sabo drank from the mug and handed the last bit over to Ace. His hands moved to his new giggled that were perched on his hat, just like his old pair were. They were almost the same as his old one, accept these ones were found in the scraps of broken ships and destroyed houses. These ones had clean glass that actually let him see out of them. He could just imagine it down, him in the middle of a snow storm, or even the rain for that matter and running around on the deck of the ship trying to reign in the sails with ease.

A small smile rose to his lips as he looked at his brothers. He didn't think that they would get this kind of happiness back. After everything they had been through, he never thought they would find a place that they would feel safe at night. A place where they belonged.

"Where did you get that?" Marco appeared out of nowhere and picked up the now empty mug from behind them and sniffed at the empty contents.

"It's not ours." Sabo quicky spoke trying to defend themselves.

"Was here when we got here." Ace added with a shrug.

"Thatch." Luffy beamed and then burst out into a random fit of laughter. While Ace and Sabo stared at their younger brother in horror. They knew that Luffy wouldn't be able to lie to save his life, but at least he normally tried. But right now he all but condemned Thatch to torture, and potentially them as well.

"Thatch."

All heads snapped up and there was an earie silence that rang through the cold night air. Marco stood in front of them with his arms crossed over his bare chest. He stared down at the Thatch with a scowl on his face.

"You gave them alcohol." Marco spoke letting his anger seep through his words.

Thatch stood back and skulled the rest of his drink before facing off his brother. His body wobbled as he took a step back. He was too far gone to be able to even try to take on his brother when he was this angry.

"Bedtime boys." Thatch rushed forwards and plucked all three of them off the barrel and all but threw them towards the door. "Say goodnight." He sung and sent them packing.

Ace snickered the whole way knowing that Thatch was going to get into some serious trouble when they were out of ear shot. He only hoped that they weren't going to be getting a round of Marco's special defence training tomorrow.

* * *

The night drew on and Lyon could see his little apprentice's yawns start to get closer together and lasting longer each time but he knew better than to tell her to go to bed whilst she still had leftover cupcake. She was always very determined that she would finish what she started and then clean up.

He was about to go over and help her finish, when he heard loud shouting from inside the galley. Sighing he pulled his hat off his head and rubbed the back of his neck. It seemed that some of the party goer's were getting hungry. He hated having to deal with his drunk and hungry brothers, they were so hard to control sometimes. They would run out of supplies completely if he let them go all out when they were having drunk cravings.

"I'll be back in a moment," he spoke to Flick as she retook her spot in front of the decorations station. "Those idiot's are probably craving your cupcakes." He smiled at her laugh.

He was about to walk out when the doors swung open and in fell a drunk Teach.

"I'm Fucken starving," he gargled struggling to hold himself up against the counter. Lyon instantly went into defence mode and stepped in front of Octavia's line of sight. He didn't want her seeing this kind of behaviour and he didn't want Teach to see her here either.

"Teach outside now." Lyon placed his hands on the large man's shoulders and gentle pushed him towards the doors.

"Don't touch me chore boy!" he snapped shoving him backwards. Lyon glanced over to Flick hearing her gasp and could see her eyes widened and filled with fear. Her body started to tremble and he could see her hand start to face him. He knew what she was about to do.

"It's alright Flick," he spoke to her trying to keep her calm, but he didn't get a response.

"Little brat." Teach scoffed taking a long drink from his bottle. Half of it missed his mouth and started to dribble down his chin and into his beard; "All this fucken trouble for four little shits," he laughed.

"Enough Teach, outside now." Lyon grabbed the man's arm but he was pushed backwards and he fell down onto the tiles. Quickly reacting, he was about to go to the offensive when he felt a rush of air surge past him.

He watched in shock as Teach was thrown backwards and against the wall.

"Stupid bitch," he snarled looking towards Flick who had her shaking palms out facing them.

"Stand down this instant." Lyon was up and had his hands on Teach's chest.

"That piece of trash is no use to us. Fucken bringing a buster call upon us." He yelled thrashing against Lyon.

"That's enough." Lyon quickly pulled the man to the ground and forced one of his arms around his back.

"Flick just stay here, I will be back in a second." Lyon looked at the tearstained girl and then pulled the drunk head to his feet making sure to keep his arm twisting as painfully as possible.

"She's going to get us all killed. We should have left them to dr-" Lyon snapped. He punched Teach with as much rage as he was feeling in that moment. Teach went down quickly; not able to finish the rest of his statement. He was quick to drag the man outside and throw him into the corner of the galley. He saw a few other of Thatch's division sitting around the tables and they were quick to stand seeing the end of the fight.

"Get him to the infirmary. Do not let him leave until Pops has dealt with him." He growled out causing the other drunk men to hurry towards their knocked out drinking buddy.

Sighing he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his hands. It had been a long time since he had dished out the first punch. But Teach was asking for it, and he knew that as soon as the other commanders got wind of his antics there was going to be many more punches thrown.

Walking back into the kitchen he was shocked to see Octavia back at her station with a cupcake in her hand, as if nothing had happened.

"Octavia," he whispered moving towards her. He could see the way her body still trembled lightly but her face masked all the emotions her body was giving away; "I'm sorry that happened sweetheart." He carefully took the cupcake from her hands and placed it on the counter.

"It's not excuse, but he was drunk. He didn't know what he was saying. Pops and Thatch will be the ones to deal with him, I promise." He turned her stool around and forced her to face him. He could see the small sharp breathes she was taking, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

"I don't want anyone to die," her voice cracked and her hands moved to cover her face. His heart broke at the sight of her breaking down. He was going to kill that man when he got hold of him, better yet he was going to sit back and watch as the rest of the commanders and Lia have their shot at him.

"Come here," he watched as her face lifted and she held out her arms accepting the hug. He pulled her off the stool and she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his stomach. Holding her tightly he sat down on her stool and gently rubbed her back.

"No one is going to die. Do you hear me?" he soothed her.

"But the buster call…" she whimpered.

"Flick, Pops is the strongest man alive. He is the most wanted man alive, hell every Whitebeard Pirate even the Moby Dick itself has a bounty. The marines will threaten us with everything they have, but do you know what?" he spoke seeing her eyes look up at him.

"There hasn't been a single time that those marines have ever won against Pops. They can threaten us all they want, but that's all it ever is, a threat. They will never be able to hurt us." He spoke firmly. With his thumb he wiped it across her cheek, brushing away the lose tears that fell.

"I promise you, nothing is going to happen to us. Especially not because you and the boys are here. Alright?" he whispered and earned a small smile from her but he knew that it was forced.

"Thank you for helping me," he whispered remembering her sudden rush to protect him.

"I was scared," she admitted burying her face into his white jacket.

"I know, but it's over now. And he will be getting into serious trouble when Thatch finds out about this. No one messes with his Princess," he joked trying to get a smile from her but he got nothing.

"Can I go to bed now?" she whispered so softly that he had barely heard her. Looking back at the table he could see many unfinished cupcakes.

"Of course darlin', you've had a very big day today." He stood up still with her in his arms and headed out of the kitchen. There was no way he was letting her wonder around the ship alone tonight. He knew that those little brothers of her would be able to make her smile, plus he wanted the time to go and speak to his own brother and Pops about what happened.

When he reached their room he opened the door and looked inside, the three boys were sound asleep on their beds.

"Good night," she whispered and gave him one last squeeze before hopping out of his arms.

"Sweet dreams, Princess." He watched as she walked over to Ace's bed and he smiled seeing the boy lift his arm with his eyes closed. Flick slipped under the covers and curled up against her brother. Closing the door he sighed preying that this little stunt didn't impact her any more than it did already.

Walking up to the deck he was quick to find his Pops sitting on the deck with his brothers still drinking around him.

"…er the white hunter was there with his division. Shouldn't be too much of an issue." Lyon could see Marco talking with Pops, he seemed to be the only one who wasn't absolutely smashed right now.

"Lyon!" Thatch cheered through a classy burp when he entered the party area. "What's wrong?" his drunk smile quickly turned seeing his fists.

"Pops we need to talk," Lyon spoke looking up at his Pops who was quick to asses him.

"Let's go to my office." Whitebeard stood up and moved towards the stairs.

"What's going on?" Thatch snapped out of his drunkenness and into serious mode. "Is Flick okay?"

"She's fine, just bring the other commanders." Lyon snapped and followed after his Pops towards the office. Tonight was going to be a hell of a long night.

* * *

_**"Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."**_

* * *

**Well that's my longest chapter yet! haha **

**So Teach is back and causing all kinds of trouble...**

**There an admiral on the island?**

**What did you think? **

**Let me know :D **


	12. Chapter 12 -Running from Fear

**Hey there people :D **

**Thanks for all the love and support :D**

**Almost 100 reviews :D Cant tell you guys how exciting that is. Never thought that my dribble of thoughts would actually please others :D**

* * *

_**'Fear is met and destroyed with courage'**_

* * *

"I'm sorry he said what?" Thatch growled completely sobering up; "I'm going to kill him. Where the fuck is he!"

"Settle down," Marco was quick to push him back into his chair, stopping him from rushing to the infirmary to beat the living shit out of Teach. As much as he wanted to stand next to his brother at this moment, they had to keep a level head. And by the look on everyone's faces, there was going to be long line to get to Teach.

"How'd he even know about the buster call?" Marco asked looking to Pops.

"Someone has spoken out about the threat." Izo growled knowing that it definitely was not one of the four guardians. "Someone told him about the warrant."

"How is she now?" Namur asked putting aside the verbal killing of their brother and brought the conversation back to the true matter at hand.

"She was shaken up, she thought we were all going to end up dead because of her being here." Lyon sighed sinking further into his chair. Izo slid a bottle of sake' from the middle of the table towards him. He quickly snapped the cork off the top and downed half of it. It was going to take a lot of alcohol to get rid of those fearful eyes that was surely going to haunt him for a while.

"I managed to calm her down. Explained that it wasn't ever going to happen and she went back to her room. Ace is with her now." He continued. Hearing that, allowed the guardians to calm down a little knowing that she was alright and with her brothers. They would keep her safe.

"Let her rest for tonight, in the morning bring her to me." Pops spoke, although he really didn't want to listen to his own rule and he wanted to go to her at once. He wanted to see that she was alright with his very own eyes.

"And Teach?" Marco spat wanting to know the man's punishment already. Everyone in this room knew Teach was one of them. He was their brother, but they also knew that when Teach drank, he was violent and relentless, a trait that they had all become used to. But to go this far was something that no one had seen before.

This was so unlike him.

He was sure when he woke up from his drunken haze that he would be ashamed by his own actions, but when it came down to Flick and the boys, forgiveness was not something that would come easily. And by the look on Thatch's face, and even Lyon, Teach was not going to be forgiven by them until Flick herself forgave him.

"Let him sleep through his concussion. In the morning we will discuss his punishment, as well as finding out who revealed this information." He sighed reaching for the next bottle of sake; "For now he is to go unharmed do I make myself clear?" he spoke looking at each of the commanders and stopped on Thatch.

"Least you got one good hit in right?" Thatch sighed earning a nod from Lyon.

"He was out cold before he even hit the floor." Lyon slid the bottom over to his brother who quickly finished the rest of it off.

"So help me god, if this makes her go backwards I will kill him." Thatch warned.

"After he's castrated." Izo smirked.

"And before that, Lia can have him," Marco smirked pulling up another bottle.

All the men shivered at the thought. Lia was like a lioness. Touch one of her cubs and you will regret the day you were born. And Lia had taken to those four children quicker than anything. She had nursed them back to health and there wasn't a single person, pirate or marine who was going to harm them.

"That's a little cruel isn't it?" Pops laughed loudly.

* * *

Octavia lay awake as her mind was running through so many different thoughts. But there were two words that haunted her the most. That plagued her mind like a poison.

Buster call.

_She could feel the smoke burning in her lungs as the dark cloud of ash came rolling in towards the ship…_

_She could hear the screams of the villagers as they were burnt along with their homes…_

They were going to initiate another buster call just to get her back.

_Hands wrapped tightly around her holding her on her spot, as she watched her home turn into ash._

They were going to kill everyone she knew just to get her back.

_'This was your fault, remember this. You try to escape us, we will burn everything in our path to find you…'_

Burying her face in Ace's pillow she felt his arm wrap around her stomach and he pulled her closer.

"What's wrong?" she heard his voice whisper against her back. Shaking her head she tried to control her breathing. She didn't want to wake the others up, and scare them with the threats of imitate death. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell them at all.

Especially Luffy, he was only just starting to sleep through a full night without waking up from his nightmares. If he knew that the World government would stop at nothing to get her back, she knew that it would be only a matter of time before his nightmares would return.

And for Ace and Sabo, they would let their guard come back up. They would be constantly looking over their shoulders trying to protect her and themselves. They would never be able to relax again. They would take their training too seriously and in the end they would only hurt themselves.

"Nightmare," she whispered to the still half asleep Ace as he pulled himself closer to her.

"Not your fault…" Ace sighed and she felt his arm tighten around her. "Always there's," he spoke still asleep. "Wanna talk bout it?" Ace yawned still with his eyes closed.

"I'm fine," she buried her face into his arm as it wrapped tighter around her.

"Won't let anyone hurt you…" Ace mumbled drifting back off to sleep.

Forcing a smile she listened to his even breathing and she knew he was back asleep just as quick as he woke up.

His words ran over and over in her mind. But for once it wasn't going to be their fault, it would be hers. If – when they came and called upon the buster call, it would be her fault.

Disappearing out from under Ace's arm she landed at the end of the room. She looked at her brothers as her tears slowly ran down her face.

_'Let her go!' she watched as her mother struggled against the barrage of marines that surrounded her. She watched as she fought back with everything she had, taking down marine after marine; but there were so many. Wave after wave of the endless white surrounded her mother until she was pinned to the ground with nowhere to go. _

_'Run Octavia, run!' her mother screamed to her but she couldn't move. Her legs shook beneath her and her arms wrapped around the small toy in her hands. _

She wouldn't watch another person she cared about die again. She wasn't going to be the cause of more pain.

Grabbing the book she was reading off her table she scribbled a small note and left it on her bed. Making up her mind she grabbed her coat from today and appeared towards the door. Looking back for a split second she whispered goodbye to the three boys who had changed her life forever. Slipping out, she closed the door as silently as she could.

She froze.

Sleeping slumped against the opposite wall was Thatch. His knees were pulled up and his arms were slung over them. She was afraid he would wake up, but he was still.

She wanted to run to him, to wake him up. She wanted him to tell her that everything would be okay, that Teach was lying. That everything was a lie and that no one was going to look for her. But she knew that it wasn't true. These last few months she was living in denial, those men were always going to be searching for her. There wasn't a place in this world that she would be safe.

'W_e will burn everything in our path to find you…'_

With a tearful smile she silently thanked the man for everything he had done for her and disappeared out of sight.

The entire ship was silent. She could hear the waves that crashed against the ship and the few island birds who were awake calling out in the darkness. She crept along the walls until she was safe up on the deck. She knew that there were more people on watch, but all she needed to do was see land. Shifting behind a set of crates she peered over the ledge, and she disappeared.

Landing on the soft cold sand she didn't dare look back. The tears she had been forcing herself to hold back were now free as they rolled down her cheeks.

"Goodbye," she whispered before throwing the coat over her head and pulling the hood up.

It was morning by the time she reached the small village town and her feet were starting to ache. Keeping her hood pulled over her face she wandered through the edge of town making sure to keep her eyes and head down at all times. She found the restaurant they had eaten at the day before and quickly walked away from it. She didn't want to be around any place someone might remember her, or worse, where the others might search for her.

Her eyes started to droop and a yawn broke out every few seconds. She was exhausted. Looking for a place to sleep she walked back to the forest where the trees grew thick and the village voices died down. She didn't want to be woken up at every set of shoes that walked too close, or a voice that yelled out in the streets. She wanted peace and security.

She walked through the forest until the sights of the village had completely vanished and all she could see was tall trees and bushland. Grinning she found a large hollowed out tree that was covered with a large bush. Crawling beneath the shrub she found herself completely covered in the hollowed out tree.

Sighing she pulled her coat around her tightly and let her head rest against the mossy bark. It was surprisingly more comfortable than she had imagined, especially when she compared it to the other locations she had been forced to sleep in before. A fresh smelling, soft green tree was perfect compared to the stale, cold hard metal cages she was used to.

Letting her eyes close she let the next wave of her emotions hit her. A small sob broke through her lips and she pressed her face into her knees and wrapped her arms around herself trying to keep her from falling apart. The ache in her chest was growing bigger and bigger the more she thought back to her months on the Moby Dick. She didn't want to give it all up, she didn't want to lose people who she had come to care about, and to care about her. She didn't want to lose her brothers, Lyon, Thatch or Mister Whitebeard.

But most of all she didn't want them to die.

She would rather die than for them to get hurt.

Should would rather go back to her prison life than see them burn.

* * *

Thatch woke up in a start. Flinging his body forwards he looked around and noticed that he was sleeping the hallway. A small laugh burst from his lips as his hand moved to his head. He must have drunk a lot to forget where he was sleeping. But he was glad he had enough sense not to go into the brats' room.

Sighing he pushed himself to his feet and stretched his arms above his head in a huge yawn. He could hear the popping of his joints as he bent sideways getting rid of his stiffness.

He moved forwards and raised his hand to the door and gave out his signature knock, without waiting for a response he walked inside.

"Morning Princess," he grinned. But then he looked down at her empty bed.

"She's not with you?" Sabo was the first one to speak.

Looking down he noticed that her bed was not slept in. Her sheets were still neatly pressed down at each corner and her pillow gentle placed at the top. He looked up at the others and could see the worry starting to seep in.

"No," Thatch bolted from the room and headed straight for Pops' room. Everything came flashing back from the night before.

The celebration party.

The sighting of marines.

Lyon.

Teach.

Flick.

"Thatch what's going on!" he could hear Ace's worried voice as they chased him through the corridors. "Where's Flick!"

Ignoring the calls from the boys he pushed through the door and stared up at his Pops and Marco.

"Flick?" he called out looking around the room for her. First noticing her absence on his father's shoulder, or on the chair in the corner with a book, or on his bed with Stefan. She wasn't here.

"She's not here, what's going on my son?" Pops stood up and could see his anxious face.

"She wasn't in her room this morning." Thatch spoke out quickly before disappearing towards the kitchen.

"Lyon!" Thatch burst through the doors and saw his friend alone. "She's not here…" his voice sounded pained as he searched her usual spots.

"Flick…" Lyon's eyes went wide and he dropped his knife and ripped off his apron. The both of them went running around the ship calling out for the young girl.

"Thatch," he stopped in his tracks and looked down at Ace. He had a piece of paper scrunched up in his hands; "She ran away." He snarled causing Luffy to sob beside him.

"What?" Thatch knelt down in front of him and Ace handed him the crumpled note.

"She just said goodbye, and thank you." He looked up at Ace who was struggling to keep his emotions checked. Luffy clung to his brother as his sobs grew louder.

"Where'd you find this?" he asked.

"On her bed. Inside her book." Ace whispered looking away from the man. Guilt wracked through him as he remembered her crawling into his bed last night. He remembered her nightmare, and the way she had clung to him. He thought it was like the other times, she would always sleep better once they were together, he didn't think any different.

"We need to find Pops," Thatch stood up tall and led them towards Pops' room.

"We'll find her Lu, don't cry, we'll get her back." Ace murmured softly to his brother.

Ace looked around the room and could see every single division commander here along with Lia, Lyon and Whitebeard.

He sat next to Sabo and they listened as each of the commanders yelled out something. His eyes were on his youngest brother who was clutching at Whitebeard. He could see his whispers and his eyes pleading up to the great man to find his sister.

He listened as the people around him were mentioning over and over about the marines that were on the island and how much trouble it could cause them. He heard names being thrown around the room that he had never heard of and then he heard the words 'set sail' and his body started to shake.

"Quiet," Whitebeard called out when the last person entered the room.

"We're not leaving without her! Leave us behind and we'll find her." Ace growled looking at the few men who had commented about leaving.

"We're getting her back brat, now sit down." Whitebeard called out shocking Ace. They were going to look for her…

"Thatch, you and a small team will search the island. Visit every place you went to yesterday. Avoid the marines at any cost." Thatch looked around the room and saw others quickly volunteer as rescue.

"We're going too." Ace spoke out gaining everyone's attention.

"No-" Marco started to speak but Ace stood from on his chair and slammed his hand onto the table.

"She is our sister, she is out there for god knows whatever reason. We will find her. We'll know where to look." Ace spoke looking up at Whitebeard.

"We care about her too, Ace." He looked at Thatch who moved to sit opposite him; "I want her back just as much as you guys do, but those marines they're not your average foot soldiers. There's a vice admiral on that island." Ace's eyes went wide.

"Who?" Sabo stood next to his brother preparing themselves for the complete worst.

"Admiral Smoker." Marco interjected and watched as three sighs of relief were heard.

"Not grandpa," Luffy whispered still clinging to the giant.

"Give me till tonight. If I cannot bring her back by nightfall I will bring you two with me tomorrow. I promise." Thatch spoke looking between Ace and Sabo.

"You have until the sun sets." Ace spoke softly.

"Bring her back," Sabo spoke firmly looking at their guardians.

* * *

Luffy sat on his spot letting his fingers twist through the bits of material on Whitebeard's jacket. He felt sick. He remembered those years he was alone. Alone without anyone to talk to, or anyone to care about him. He didn't like being alone. It ached real bad when he was alone.

Now Flick was alone.

His sister was alone.

He wasn't a very good brother to her.

He always took food from her plate.

He took most of the blanket when they slept at night.

He would make her come with him to bathe.

He would make her tell him stories before bed.

He never did anything for her.

Brothers were meant to be nice to their sisters.

He didn't do much for her, not like what she did for him.

She left them.

She left him.

He wasn't a very good brother.

He wasn't going to be a very good captain.

"Luffy," he looked up at the large man who gentle placed his finger on his cheek and wiped away the tears that had fallen. Sniffling he wiped his arm over his nose and tried to swallow the sob that was threatening to break through. Men don't cry.

"Why did she leave us? Did I do something wrong?" Luffy spoke through his tears breaking the silence in the room, "did she not want us to be her brothers anymore?" he voiced his question looking up at the captain.

"Of course she did, she's scared my son. You've been excellent brothers to her and we will bring her back and show her that when she is with family there is nothing to be afraid of." Whitebeard patted the young boys head.

"What scared her?" Ace finally caught on. Something had happened in order to make Flick so scared she had to run.

"Flick was scared?" Luffy whispered looking at his brothers. She never said she was scared. He would always tell her when he was scared at night, or when he had a bad dream. She would always be there for cuddle him back to sleep, or hum a song to him.

"What the hell happened?" Sabo was the one to shout when he saw every person in the room flinch. They knew something and they were keeping it from them.

"Boys," Lyon spoke up earning their glares; "Last night something did happen. I thought that I had calmed her down, explained what was going on, I thought she would be alright. I'm so sorry boys." Lyon tugged at his hair.

"What happened?" Ace growled repeating his brother's demands.

"On the day Vista arrived with his division they brought news." Whitebeard spoke up; "They had managed to intercept a report sent from the World Government. This is what they found." He pulled a black envelop from his jacket pocket and handed it to Ace. Quickly tearing open the envelope he pulled out a large black piece of paper.

"That's Flick!" Sabo said seeing the familiar face staring at him; "Why is she on a wanted posted!"

"Buster call…" Ace whispered earing a gasp from his two brothers.

"What?" Sabo whispered letting those two words sink in.

"It's says buster call." Ace looked up from the piece of paper trying to control his body from shaking in rage.

"No, not that." Sabo took the wanted poster and read through it himself. Over and over again he read the words buster call.

"You know what that is?" Marco asked a little concerned that they all understood the severity of the situation. How did the three of them know what a buster call was? He looked over to the youngest who had pushed himself further into his Pops lap and was burying his face into his jacket.

"You showed this to her! What the hell were you thinking!" Ace snapped letting his fists slam into the table.

"I ordered the entire crew who knew about this that it was strictly forbidden to mention it to anyone. But someone leaked it." Whitebeard spoke seeing the young boys start to spiral out of control.

"What do you know about buster calls?" Marco asked again desperate to know the answer.

Ace and Sabo looked at each other and then to the commanders who were all looking to them. They knew her story, hell they knew almost everything that Flick could remember. But they were a pack, there were sworn siblings, what they told each other in the darkness of the night was between them. They would never tell anyone about each of their fears or dreams that they spoke of.

"No," Ace shook his head to Sabo. They couldn't betray her trust like that. She had told them in secrecy.

"What?" Marco asked not sure what was going on.

"We can't say." Sabo turned to look at the commanders. They weren't going to tell anyone, not without her permission.

"Boys, this is serious. Flick is wanted by dangerous people. If you know something that could help us, you need to tell us." Thatch spoke up and gazed at the three of them. He knew first and foremost the trust that the four of them had. And breaking a secret like this was hard on all of them.

"Please," he pleaded looking at Ace. He was the decider for the group, he truly was the Alpha of their pack.

"A buster call was called upon her village the day she was taken away." Ace sighed letting his hands ball into fists on the table in front of him. He prayed that whenever they saw Flick next that she would forgive them for spilling her story.

"It destroyed Flick's village. She watched as five admirals destroyed her home and slaughtered everyone she knew. They were the ones who killed her mother in front of her." Sabo spat feeling the rage boil up inside of him.

"What?" Thatch felt his entire body start to give way.

Sitting back in his seat he stared at the two boys in front of him. There wasn't a single thought that had run through his mind that had come up with that as a scenario, he thought they may have stumbled across a secret book, or she had heard about it somewhere, or had experienced an attack or something. But not this.

Never did he think that this was the reason why she ended up here with them.

He stared at the three brats who all looked ready to take on the whole World Government and he knew that they were telling the truth. They knew her past.

She had faced a buster call.

A buster call killed everyone.

Destroyed her home.

Killed her mother.

"Who!" Sabo spat looking at each of the commanders. He would tear every single one of them apart; "Who told her?"

"Teach." Thatch growled with as much ferocity as the boys were feeling.

"Where is he?" Luffy spoke causing everyone to still. They had never ever heard such rage come from the youngest; "He hurt Flick." He was about to jump off the chair when Whitebeard held him tightly.

"He will be punished for his actions. Now we must focus on bringing her back." Whitebeard spoke loudly causing the others to calm down if by a little.

"Thatch, take your team." Whitebeard ordered and he was quick to take his leave.

"Bring her back my son." Whitebeard whispered watching as the team headed towards the village.

* * *

The sun began to set as Ace, Sabo and Luffy sat on the deck of the ship and watched over the shoreline. None of them spoke a word as they waited anxiously for their sister to be returned.

"She's scared." Luffy whispered wrapping his arms around his legs. He didn't like this feeling, it was like he was scared, but he knew that it wasn't his feelings he was feeling. Looking back out at the forest that looked so much like his old home, he wondered where she was and if she was safe.

"I can't keep sitting here," Ace groaned not liking that he wasn't out there looking for her.

"Whitebeard told us we weren't-" Luffy spoke but Ace quickly cut him off.

"Since when do we listen to what anyone else tells us to do?" He spoke with a plan forming in his head. "She's our sister."

"So we're going?" Sabo asked already thinking the same thing. They were sworn brothers, and she was their sworn sister. They wouldn't let anything happen to her. She was one of them now and they protect each other.

"She's alone. We don't let family be alone." Luffy stood up and pulled his hat firmly down on his head.

"Damn right Lu," Ace stood up and glanced over his shoulder. Now all they needed to do was grab their stuff and get away without anyone noticing.

* * *

Octavia opened her eyes and noticed that the sun was nowhere near as high as it was when she fell asleep. Feeling the damp air around her, she pulled her hood closer to her face and blew a warm breath into her hands.

Peeking through the bush in front of her she made sure that no one was around. Crawling out from under the shrub she made a mental note to remember where she had hidden. Looking up at the sky she could see the sun beginning to set, knowing that it would be dark soon she wondered what she was going to do next.

Sitting back against the tree she tried to think of as many plans as she could. Trying to hide wouldn't work for long. She needed food and she needed a way to get off the island. Or maybe she didn't. Every scenario ran through her mind but then it was interrupted by a loud growl of her stomach. Giggling to herself she looked down at her stomach and it reminded her of the way Luffy's stomach would rumble at the mere mention of meat.

Pushing off the tree she headed back towards the village hoping that something might inspire her with an idea, or better yet food might mysteriously drop out from the sky.

Keeping her head down she walked through the crowds of people making sure not to bump into anyone or cause a scene. But most of all she kept her eyes and ears out for any sight of the marines or the Whitebeard Pirates.

Pushing further out the other end of the town she noticed she was now in what seemed like a district of housing. There were small cottages and inn's everywhere. She saw a park at the end of the street that was just begging her to go to. With a small spring in her step she hurried towards the colourful playground only to stop.

Turning her head down and alley way she heard the sounds of a fight. Gulping she moved to the side of the street and with her back against the wall, she peered into the narrow alleyway.

"Monster, look at you, you're so pathetic." A boy around Ace's age was screaming down at someone.

Taking a step into the alley she noticed three more boys all circled around something. She watched as they kicked up dirt and threw rocks at it. Then she heard a whimper.

Her eyes went wide when she saw a small white puppy sat curled up on the ground. It was the victim to those brats.

"I don't know why father brought you, you're nothing special." The boy yelled out again throwing a rock at the puppy.

"You should ask for your money back," another boy snickered.

"Hey stop that!" a voice shouted out in the alley and it took her a moment to realise it was her voice. She stood in the middle of the stoned alley with her legs wide and her hands curled into fists, just like her brothers had told her.

"Who the hell are you?" the dark haired boy asked turning around quickly at her voice.

"Don't hurt that puppy." She spoke out firmly and she noticed the little thing lift its head and eyes towards her. "Come here," she whispered and watched as he struggled to get to his feet.

"Hey that's my dog I can do whatever I want with it." The blonde boy stepped forwards and went to grab the puppy as it ran towards her. But it was quicker. It limped towards her and as soon as it was closer enough she picked him up and tucked him under her coat letting it nestle in her t-shirt and her clock.

"You're safe now," she whispered down at it before looking up at the bullies.

"Thief, give him back!" the boy called before running towards her.

"Shit," she swore to herself before turning and running out of the alley and back out onto the streets. She ran as fast as she could back towards the busy marketplace hoping that she would be able to lose them there.

Glancing over her shoulder she could see the boys keeping up with her. Tears sprung in her eyes as she turned corner after corner but she couldn't shake them off. She could feel the puppy tremble against her chest as they raced through the village.

Turning a corner she ran as far down the dark street as she could until couldn't any longer.

"Trapped now," she turned back sharply and could see the small group of boys had multiplied.

"Give me back my dog." One boy stepped forwards tossing a stone in his hand back and forth.

"No, you were hurting him." She snapped back clutching the puppy tighter to her chest. Looking around she could see a tall brick wall behind her. She didn't want to use her powers here. She didn't want anyone to see her. But she wasn't going to let anyone hurt the puppy again.

"Phillip, what is going on?" an adult voice appeared and she faltered seeing three large men appear at the end of the alley way. The small hope of her pushing through the boys was now long gone. There was no way she was going get through those boy and their parents.

"That girl stole Monster." The boy claimed pointing at her. She winced at the name he had actually called the sweet puppy. The puppy wasn't a monster he was.

"Girl hand over the dog now, or you will be dealing with the marines." The man she assumed was his father, stepped forwards and she took a hesitant step back. She wasn't going to be handing him over just to get tortured again.

"Don't be stupid girl, hand it over or you will pay." The man threatened her tightening his fists by his side.

"You don't even want him. You hurt him." She pleaded taking another step back.

"That pest is worth a shit load of money. Give him back or we will take him back." He snarled at her as her back hit the stone wall. Gasping she looked up and could see that she was completely trapped. The only way out was to reveal herself.

"What is the meaning of this? You're threatening a little girl now? What on earth would the council say to this?" her head snapped to the side and she noticed a man sitting on top of a crate at the end of the alley. Two streams of smoke left his cigars as he pushed off his seat and past the boys to face the man.

"Smoker-san please understand this petty thief attacked my son and stole our precious dog." She glared at the man.

"That's bullshit, those boys were kicking the puppy and throwing rocks at him." She shouted and then quickly shut her mouth. The smoking man looked at her and then to the young boys who were quickly hiding behind the adults.

"That is the second time this week your boys have been reported to abusing animals. Maybe it would be best to find it a more suitable home." Smoker-san spoke.

"You cannot do this, you have no right to take away that beast. Do you have any idea how much it is worth." The man raised his voice.

"It's getting late, go back to your homes and I will deal with the girl." Smoker-san ordered; "We wouldn't want the mayor to get wind of this little disagreement now would we?" she was surprised to see that these people followed his orders. Was he a marine?

"I will be speaking with the Admiral about this, mark my words Smoker-san you will regret this." The man snarled before gripping his sons arm and dragging him out of the alley.

"Are you alright?" she looked at the man and slowly nodded. He took a step towards her and she gasped pressing herself further into the wall.

"I won't hurt you child," he bent down and spoke softly to her, but kept his distance; "Is the dog okay?" he asked gesturing to her arms. Slowly she removed her coat and showed him the beat up dog in her arms.

"Little shits," he snarled flicking one of his cigars. "What's your name kid?" he asked lifting a lit match to the cigar.

Her eyes darted around the alley way and she weighed her chances of escaping around him. He looked strong, and probably fast as well.

"Hey, I ain't going to hurt you kid. You're not in trouble." She bit her bottom lip as she looked at the man.

She was about to speak when another man appeared. Her eyes went wide taking in his white attire, with white hat and the large letters of marine written on the front.

"Admiral Smoker Sir, we have reports siting the Whitebear – it's her." The solider raised his weapon and pointed it directly at her.

"Lower your weapon!" Smoker stood up and blocked his aim.

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she stared at the men before her. They were marines. He was an admiral. They knew who she was.

Looking up at the tall stone wall behind her and then back to the men.

"Do not run girl, no one is going to hurt you." Smoker pleaded; "I said lower that weapon."

She looked at the man and contemplated his words. Then she looked at the soldier who still has his weapon raised towards her. He wouldn't stop. She could see it in his eyes and feel it; this man was out to get her and he wouldn't stop.

Without thinking she disappeared from her spot and then appeared on top of the wall behind her.

"She's getting away!" the soldier raised his weapon and she gasped jumping down the other side of the wall.

Her eyes darted around the new street and she ran. She ran as fast as she could with fear chasing her. Seeing the forest start to appear she threw herself into the bushes and pushed herself through the long grass. Tears flooded her face as she felt the branches cut at her face. The puppy whimpered in her hands but she kept running.

* * *

"How many times do I have to tell you Luffy," Sabo stopped and slammed his hand on top of his youngest brothers head and yanked his hood back over his face. "Keep your face covered."

"But we're in the forest, no one's here." Luffy protested but kept walking with his head down and covered.

"There's an Admiral here, if word gets back to Gramps we're dead." Ace mumbled pushing back a vine and letting his brothers pass.

They had been out here in the growing darkness for a few hours now. And they had yet to find a single sign that Flick was within the area. But they weren't going to be giving up until she was back with them.

"Where would she go? Town or forest?" Luffy asked jumping over a fallen down tree. She hadn't lived in the forest like they had. She wouldn't know where to go to be safe, or how to search for water.

"Forest." Sabo and Ace answered together.

Sabo didn't even need to see her reaction to the trip into town yesterday to know that she would rather avoid people at all possible. He didn't like seeing her that guarded and that prepared to fight back at any given moment. But that was all he saw.

So with her now being alone, there was no way she would go into town willingly, she would feel the safest alone in the forest, hidden somewhere that no one would find her.

"Look beneath the bushes," Sabo spoke and earnt a nod from his brothers.

Luffy didn't feel good. His stomach was rolling over itself back and forth and he didn't know how to stop it. He knew something was wrong. He could feel it. Stretching his arm forwards he grabbed onto the tallest branch he could reach and swung his body through the air and landed further ahead. His eyes roamed around the ground and listened for any sign of his lost sister.

He swore he would find her. Pulling himself to stand on the next branch he looked around the forest ahead of them.

"It's getting late," Sabo leant against the bottom of the tree and took a drink from his flask and handed it to Ace.

"We don't stop." Ace gasped and threw the bottle up to him. Letting his hand stretch out to grab the bottle he caught it quickly. Something that never would have happened if it wasn't for Flick and her training ideas. He had so much to thank for his sister, and they had only known each other for a short time. But it was enough for them all to effect each other's lives.

"This way." He snapped the lid back on the flash and dropped the bottle back down to Sabo.

"What, Luffy." Ace called after him as he took off, changing the course they were on. He didn't know why but he knew.

"Flick's sad." He spoke swinging from his branch and towards the next. He could feel the rain start to drip down from above him and his hands began to slip easily against the wood beneath him. Gripping the wood tighter he kept swinging further and further into the forest, keeping his bird's eye view of the forest.

Sabo ran below a swinging Luffy, whilst Ace jumped from tree line to tree line. They were not going to leave any area uncovered. They would find her at all costs, and if what Luffy was feeling was correct, than he knew that his sister, and being a danger magnet was going to be in some kind of trouble.

Crashing to a stop, Luffy and Ace jumped down and flanked his side. They all sensed it.

"What the fuck are you doing here!"

They all stared wide eyed as their guardian walked through the thickened forest. His dark appearance only lighting up with the lightning that pierced the night sky.

"Thatch?" Sabo spoke standing up straighter and out of his defensive stance.

"I told you I would be back," Thatch stepped forwards and more into their view.

"You were taking too long," Luffy sighed.

"She's our sister." Ace stepped forwards not regretting their decision in the slightest for disobeying their orders.

"Marco's going to have a field day with this." Thatch laughed and shook his head. He wasn't at all surprised to see the three of them out here. He actually thought he would have sensed their presence a lot earlier than this.

"We'll deal with the consequences after we find Flick." Sabo spoke out.

"Alright brats, let's go find our lost wolf." Thatch stepped forwards but was quickly pushed around to face a complete opposite direction by the youngest.

"This way." Luffy announced and took the lead back into the darkness of the forest.

Thatch looked at the other two and saw them both shrug to his question glaze.

"He's got a feeling." Sabo explained and followed after Luffy before he disappeared completely.

Thatch followed after the three brats as the rain poured down around them. He could already feel his brother's presence as they entered the island. It wouldn't be too long now until all the commanders were on the island searching for their lost wolf.

* * *

_**'We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered.'**_

* * *

_**Well that was it...**_

_**So Smoker is here :D and he's an Admiral ;) **_

_**Luffy has strong feelings, or is it something else entirely :D **_

_**So what did you guys think?**_

_**Some people keep asking about Shanks. HE IS COMING! Promise. **_

_**But I do have a question for people... Where do you see this story going, or, more, to see Octavia leave with Luffy [if he goes alone ;)] or if she stays ... **_

_**Thanks Everyone **_

_**Love you all!**_

_**xx**_


	13. Chapter 13 - Lost and Found

**Wow can't believe I've hit over 100 reviews :D That is very exciting :D**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and commented. **

* * *

_**"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone."**_

* * *

Thunder clapped above her head as she felt the rain start to fall down around her. She clutched the puppy closer trying to shield him from the rain and the cold air that bit against her skin. The sky above her was disappearing into a screen of purples and oranges as the sun fell below the mountains.

Tripping over a branch she tumbled to the ground, her arms caged around the animal at her chest preventing him from being hurt as she took the impact. She could feel it wriggle against her tight arms and slowly she released him and watched as he crawled out from her arms and began to lick her face.

"Monster's a stupid name," she whispered sitting up; "Ghost that's a better name," she whispered pulling him back into her arms. The puppy barked at her almost in approval and wagged his tail fast.

"We should go," she spoke to him pushing herself to her feet. Pulling her hood back over her face she moved deeper into the forest and further away from the village that she had run from. Glancing over her shoulder she searched for any sign of the white dressed men. She didn't think they would find out about her so quickly, or notice her by just a glance. She knew now that there was no hope for her staying on this island, and it confirmed her fears that if she stayed on the Moby Dick one day she would be seen, and then her entire family would be put at risk.

Hearing a snap behind her she turned quickly and threw her shield up around her and Ghost.

"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." She noticed two small red flames appear in the darkness that surrounded her.

"Are you hurt?" and then the rest of the man appeared. He found her. Her eyes ran over the man who now wore his iconic white coat with gold trimmings. He was an admiral.

"Go away," she whimpered taking a small step back. She knew she would never stand a chance fighting against the man, but maybe she could keep running. Maybe she could get far enough away.

"Calm down child, I am not here to hurt yo-"

"Liar! You're a marine. You're going to take me back. You're going to send me back there!" She yelled at him as her tears fell from her eyes. She clutched her hands tightly to the small animal in her arms and could feel her heart start to pound furiously in her chest.

"Take you where?" the man asked and she shook her head.

"You know where. Don't pretend like you don't." She screamed through her tears. Looking around she quickly dropped her shield and disappeared from her spot only to appear a short distance away, behind a tree. Looking down at Ghost she let her head drop. She was so afraid. She didn't know what to do. The area around her was getting darker by the second, soon she wouldn't be able to see more than a few meters ahead of her. She would be trapped with nowhere to flicker out.

"Why does the World Government hunt you?" the voice appeared not too far away. Glancing around the tree she couldn't him through the rain, but the two small embers from his cigars gave him away.

"I don't know." She called out before she quickly appeared behind another tree, further away.

"They killed my mother and took me away. They didn't stop to tell me why!" She shouted through her tears and disappeared again. She didn't know why the man was provoking her. He was an admiral, he should have been able to catch her quickly. Why was he playing these mind games with her?

Smoker stood in the middle of the forest with rain crashing down on him. But all he could hear was the painful shouts of the young girl. When he had first opened the black enveloped wanted poster he thought it was some kind of sick joke. A ten year old girl. What was the world government wanting with a ten year old girl? He could see the fear in her eyes as she was forced to face the camera. What he noticed was the chains around her wrists and the sunken look in her eyes. She was a prisoner.

"I will not turn you in child," he spoke the words before he realised what he had said. But he meant it. He would not be turning over such a child to underdo the harsh treatments of prison life. Until he was given solid evidence that this girl had committed such evil crimes, he would not sentence her.

"Liar." He turned around hearing her voice from another direction. Witnessing this power alone was enough for him to understand why the marines might want to recruit her, but to be a prisoner. What could this girl have done to anger the world government?

"I do not lie, brat. Now come out here where we can talk properly." He yelled getting sick of this little game of hers. Not really thinking that she would listen to him, he was stunned to see the drowned girl standing at the edge of his vision. She shivered and he only hoped that it was from the cold and not from him.

"Why does the world government want you?" he asked again but softer this time. A loud bang of thunder erupted above them and the lightning that followed lit up the sky. He could see her dark hair dripping down the front of her coat as she clutched at her stomach. Did those villagers hurt her?

"I don't know. They just took me away and killed everyone else." She whispered with her eyes down. The hood she wore slipped forwards and covered her face. But he could see the tremble of her lips as she held back her emotions.

"Where have you been since?" he looked her over and noticed that her face was nowhere near as starved as the one in the picture. Someone had been looking after her, she was fed and clean. Nothing like that haunting photo.

"Nowhere, I wasn't with anyone." She snapped her head up quickly. He smirked knowing a lie when he saw one.

"So the Whitebeard Pirates being here is just a coincidence?" he asked seeing her flinch.

"I'm not with them anym-" she stuttered; "I don't know what you're talking about." She retorted.

There was a silence in the air that was only interrupted by the loud thunder that crashed above them. The skies grew darker and he could only see her when the lightning lit up the night's sky.

"Please don't hurt them. I'm not with them anymore, so you don't have to use the buster call." He heard her whimper. His breath was caught in his throat as he watched her move closer towards him. Not daring to move, she stepped closer and closer until she was a mere foot in front of him.

"I'll go with you. Just don't hurt them." Tears ran down her face as she gave herself up.

"Child," he whispered kneeling down in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She flinched back, but kept her head down.

"Did those pirates ever hurt you?" he spoke softly thinking back to the photo.

"No never, they saved me. They're my fami-" She blurted out before lowering her head again; "I'm sorry." She whispered in submission.

"Saved you from who?" he lifted her chin and could see the fear in her eyes. The same eyes that stared back from that wanted poster. Her chin trembled and he could see her eyes filling with tears. He could go a thousand years without ever wanting to see that kind of fear in a child's eyes. That kind of fear did not belong there, it didn't belong in anyone.

"Slavers," her voice broke as she squeezed her eyes shut. A small whine came from under her coat and he could see the little dog moving around impatiently.

"You were a slave?" he spat trying hard to hide his disgust. He was very confused as to what had really happened to the girl. First it was a buster call and now slavers. What the hell was the World Government hiding about this girl?

"Marines sold me to slavers, they were paid to take me to impel down." She gasped clutching a hand to her mouth; "Please just kill me. I don't want to go there, please. I'd rather die than be taken there." Her eyes flashed to his and he felt his stomach drop.

"I am not killing you," he pulled the girl hands away from her mouth. He didn't care what the World Government were going to say. There was no way he was ever going to send a little girl to impel down and damn well was going to be hurting her.

"Damn right you're not." He stood up tall and kicked himself for not sensing another presence, or a whole quadrant of them.

"Thatch?" Octavia turned around sharply and her eyes went wide.

"You're an idiot, you know that." Ace pushed through the crowd of commanders and stormed towards her, with Luffy and Sabo at his flanks.

"I told you we were a family. We protect our family. What the hell don't you get about that!" Ace yelled storming towards her. He was furious, no he was beyond furious. Never had he thought she would end up in the middle of a forest alone with a marine and an admiral at that.

Never did he think he would hear her try to sacrifice herself for them.

He was mad. No he was livid.

"Ace," she whispered turning towards him.

"Come here," he wasted no time in grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into his arms. He could feel her hands grasp onto his coat as she buried her face into his neck. His eyes never left the marine standing in front of them. He wouldn't let that man lay a single hand on his baby sister. He didn't care who he was or what rank he was given.

She was his to protect.

"Why did you come?" she whispered to him alone.

"Don't you ever do that again," he whispered back ignoring her question. She was an idiot if she thought that they wouldn't come after her; "You scared me half to death." He admitted letting her scent wash over him. She was safe. She was finally safe back with them.

"Family?" Smoker whispered to himself and then looked at the commanders. Their cold hard expressions that were directed at him not moments ago were morphed into something completely different from before. Who knew that the famous Whitebeard Pirates had a soft side…

"You're in so much trouble when we get home Flick," Sabo whispered through his smile.

"Well now I am really confused."

Suddenly she was thrown behind her brothers as they faced off the Admiral who was scratching his head. Her hands gripped into Ace's coat and she could feel her brother's hands on hers. She was surrounded by her brothers.

"Touch her and you die," Ace growled repeating the same threat as months ago. She was his responsibility now, and there was no one in this world that would touch her.

"We will destroy anyone that hurts her," Luffy growled a noise that no one had heard before, not even his brothers.

"Calm down short stuff, I ain't doing nothing to the girl." He pushed past the brats and walked towards the commanders of the Whitebeard pirates. These were the men he had to convince his true intentions, otherwise he might not make it back to his ship tonight.

"White Hunter," Marco stepped forwards and faced off the Admiral.

"Phoenix," he nodded towards the commander; "Thatch, Izo, Namur, damn you're all out here." Smoker laughed running a hand through his wet hair as calm as ever.

"You're move, Admiral." Marco kept his eyes locked on the hunter ready for him to strike.

"Yeah well, I ain't seen nothing." Smoker laughed at the expressions on all of them; "I signed up to the marines to catch the scums of the earth. Not tiny brats barely able to lift up a sword." He pulled out his lighter and relit his wet cigar; groaning when it didn't light he threw the thing to the ground and stomped out the last of its embers.

"But, the other soldier? He saw me. He knew who I was, he's going to tel-" He turned to hear a tiny trembling voice behind him.

"I'll deal with him." Smoker smirked at the young girl who now had three boys hanging off her.

"That is quiet the declaration Hunter, what's the catch." Marco spoke up not believing the man's sudden code.

"No catch."

"No buster call?" he looked at the young girl who was fidgeting with her coat. Turning around he knelt down in front of the girl ignoring the sudden offensive stances of the men around him.

"Sweetheart, did you know that Whitebeard has been given over a thousand threats of a buster call attack in his lifetime?" he spoke and saw the flash of fear race through her dark eyes.

"Did you know that the World Government are secretly scared of that old man?" He smirked hearing snickers behind him; "To tell you the truth, most of the Admirals I know would piss themselves the moment they lay eyes on that man." He whispered the last part to her.

"Go live your life kid, don't you go worrying about little things like buster calls alright. You have your whole life ahead of you, so enjoy it." He tugged on the small hood and revealed the dark red hair from her poster. "Just make me a promise?" he looked down at the large dark eyes that stared back up at him.

"When you're older try to stay off those wanted posters." He ruffled her hair earning a small giggle.

"No promises," she smiled lightly up at the man.

"And you brats keep out of trouble too, hell knows, this is going to be enough paper work to deal with." He stood and turned to the shocked commanders.

"You're serious?" Thatch spoke first.

"I do not like to repeat myself. Tell your captain that you will have no resistance from me. Although I do suggest that you leave this island – tonight might be best." He pulled out a new cigar from his jacket pocket and put it in his mouth. Turning around he waved a small goodbye before walked away from the group.

"Mister Smoker-san?" he glanced over his shoulder and saw the girl disappear and then suddenly she was in front of him. He was still quite amazed in her ability and better yet her control over it, she moved as though it was second nature. But then again, to devil fruit users, it does become their nature.

"Why are you helping me?" she whispered demanding an answer.

"Kid, you're no threat to this world or to the people in it. And if by some chance in the future you do become a threat, than I will be there ready and waiting." He looked down at her as she contemplated his words, it was no doubt that with her living on a pirate ship, calling those pirates her family that one day she would be wanted by everyone not just in secret. But until that time comes, he was not sending an innocent, defenceless girl to impel down.

"Thank you," she whispered and then she had her arms around his stomach. Laughing to himself he patted the girls head and looked back up the commanders, her family. Who knew?

"Go, they're waiting for you." She pulled back and smiled up at him.

"I won't forget you, Smoker-san." She bowed to him before disappearing from her spot.

"Won't be forgetting you either kid," he blew out a puff of smoke as he headed back to the village.

Octavia watched as the tall man disappeared from her sight. The rain poured down on her and seeped through her clothes and her hair. She felt Ghost move around in her coat and she pulled him closer to her chest to try and ward off the chill of the night.

"Princess," turning around slowly she saw Thatch walking towards her. He bent down in front of her and gently tugged her hood back over her head protecting her from the rain; "Are you hurt anywhere?" he whispered looking over her covered body.

She shook her head.

He stared down at her and watched as her tears slowly ran down her cheeks. Her body trembled and he wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from what had just happened, probably a mixture of both. Lifting his hand he placed it on her cold cheek which caused her eyes to snap to his.

"Let's go home, Princess." He smiled wiping away the trail of tears.

"But-"

"No buts Turtle, you're coming home. Let us deal with the World Government." He quickly scooped her up; "No one is getting hurt or killed on our watch, alright."

Walking back towards the others he could feel her trembling in his arms. Looking down he could see her clinging to his shirt as she buried her face into his chest. His eyes were wide in fear. The way she looked right now was almost as bad as when he had first laid eyes on her. Wet, shivering, eyes filled with fear. It was something that he never wanted to witness again.

"You're safe, Princess. Pops ain't going to let anything happen to anyone of us." He whispered to her and he felt her head bob against his chest.

"Octavia," she slowly peeked over her shoulder and saw Marco rushing towards her. Her hands gripped the material in her hands tightly and her body went rigid. She could feel Ghost curled up against her shivering with her.

"You gave us quite the scare," he spoke to her while placing his hand to her forehead.

"She's freezing," Marco spoke looking up at his brother in worry. She had been out in the elements for far too long.

"Take her," Thatch pulled her from his chest but met with resistance; "It's alright Princess, it's just Marco. It's Marco." He reassured her trying hard not to let his worry break through his words. He looked up at his brother, and they were both thinking the same thing.

As she was passed between the commanders she felt a significant difference in the body temperatures. In her head she kept repeating his name over and over again. This was Marco, he wouldn't hurt her. This was Marco. Glancing up she could see his skin glistening a shiny yellow. Not really caring how or why, she snuggled closer to the man's warmth and let his familiar calming scent wash over her. He smelt like home. They all did.

"We'll meet you back at the ship," Marco ordered before letting his wings spread wide. His arms kept Flick secured to his chest and he made sure the quick flight wasn't going to do more harm than good.

"She's going to be okay right?" Luffy looked up at his guardians. He didn't like what had happened. He didn't like seeing her so scared again.

"She'll be fine." Ace stepped forwards and placed his hand on his shoulder. And in that moment he believed every word that his brother told him. Ace would never lie to him about something so important.

"We'll make sure she is." Sabo yanked his hood further over his eyes and blocked out most of his vision, and the rain as well.

* * *

Octavia slowly opened her tightly shut eyes and what she saw made her gasp. She remembered this feeling once before, it felt like pure freedom. And she supposed flying did feel like freedom. Although the last time she felt this, she thought she was dead, but now she knew what Whitebeard had meant the last time they had spoken. It was Marco who had saved her the first time, and he was the man saving her again now.

Marco saw the ship appear in the distance and it made his entire body sigh in relief. As soon as they were all back on the ship he might be able to relax even for just a moment. Landing on the deck he quickly saw his brothers rush towards him.

"Inform Pops that we're back. The other's will be here shortly." Marco commanded and quickly brushed past his brothers and headed straight for the infirmary. Glancing down at the girl in his arms he noticed her clutching to her own coat and her eyes were cast down the whole time. He prayed that this ordeal wasn't going to send her back into herself. As much as he disliked her Thatch-like language, he loved the sound of her voice, loved the sound of her laughter.

She had come so far in such a short amount of time, he would take on the entire world if it meant keeping her like this, happy and carefree. He didn't want her to be living in a world where she was constantly looking over her shoulder, or threatened with buster calls.

Opening the door to the infirmary he felt is own body still, his arms wrapped tighter around Flick and he felt her fingertips digging into his arms. He heard a whimper from his chest and he wanted to turn back and close the door.

"You found her, is she alri-" A loud gruff voice caused the girl to flinch.

"She's fine. When you're done, go back to your room Teach." Marco commanded pushing through the room; "I will see you after."

"I just want to apo-" Marco moved quickly through the room and ignored the man's pathetic attempts at an apology. He did feel a little better seeing the man getting stiches above his eyes, Lyon definitely got a good punch in.

Teach was their sworn brother, he was family. Everyone knew that he hadn't meant any harm when he had spilled the beans about the threat. And every one of his brothers knew that when they were drunk, they seemed to forget the small things, and sometimes the big things.

Teach was their brother, but even so, he didn't very much like his brother at the moment and he was sure to receive a hefty punishment for his actions. And that was definitely including no alcohol for a long period of time.

He closed the door behind him and moved over to the spare bed and pulled the set of towels and blankets towards them.

"Out you come," he spoke gently down to her as she still clung to him desperately; "He won't be coming in here. I promise you Flick." He stroked her wet hair and got her to loosen her grip, enough for her to be moved onto the bed. He noticed her hands that moved from his shirt straight to her coat. She was hiding something.

"Are you hurt?" his hands moved to her coat and quickly moved it aside; "Did somebody hurt you sweethea-?" he froze.

"Well, hello there." That was definitely not what he was expecting when he moved her coat. He stared down at the small white head that poked through the coat. He was about to pet its head when it growled at him.

"Where'd you find him?" he looked up to see her biting her lip. She opened the rest of her coat and the little dog bounded out and onto the bed. It shook its body and he rolled his eyes feeling the spray of water landing on him. That was when he noticed the dark red blotches covering the dog's fur.

"Did you find him like this?" he asked kneeling down in front of her; "Did you save him?" he whispered trying to get her to speak. Even one word. He just needed to hear her speak.

She nodded her head.

"People were hurting him," she whispered and Marco sighed in relief; "So I took him." he smiled.

"Well, I think you've earned yourself a lifelong friend there." Marco stood back up glad to see that she still had a bit of her lovely attitude.

"He can stay?" she spoke a little louder.

"I don't see why not, you will have to ask Pops first though." He laughed seeing her worried face. But he knew that the dog would be become an honorary member of the Whitebeard Pirates. He knew for a fact that animals, especially dogs, were a great coping mechanism for people. And by the look on her face it was going to be staying whether anyone liked it or not.

"Is he angry with me?" she mumbled and the puppy was quick to run back to her lap as if it sensed her distress.

"No sweetheart, no one is angry with you. We were all very worried about you, that's all."

"Octavia!" her eyes went wide seeing the blonde nurse rush into the room; "You scared me half to death child." Lia rushed towards her and suddenly her hands were running all over her.

"Where does it hurt?" she shook her head and Lia quickly shoved something cold in her mouth. "Jesus, you're freezing. Did you sleep in the rain last night?" Octavia wasn't able to get a thing in as she was quickly swept off the bed and carried towards the bathroom. "I have a warm bath ready for you."

"I'll go give the other's an update." Marco said standing up from his spot.

"No!" her voice screeched as she reached for the commander.

"It's alright Flick," Marco saw her distress and quickly moved towards her.

"Don't leave me," her voice trembled as her eyes rapidly darted from him and to the door. "Don't go." Following her lead he looked back at the door from where they had come from. And then it clicked. Teach was in that room. He looked at Lia who seemed to be on the same thought path as he was.

"He's not going anywhere. Marco will sit right here and we can leave the bathroom door open, because Marco is a gentleman and he would never peek." Lia hushed her and it was enough to calm her down to let go of Marco's shirt.

"Promise?" she whispered looking at the commander.

Marco took his cue and dragged a chair over to the entrance of the bathroom.

"We'll be right here Princess, we ain't going anywhere." He picked up the dog who was growling at the bottom of Lia's feet and sat down on the chair with his back facing the bathroom.

Octavia stared at the man and then back at the door.

"Let's get you nice and warm." Lia moved with her into the bathroom and the main door disappeared from her sight. She kept her eyes on Marco's back as Lia stripped her out of her wet clothes.

"I'm sure Lyon is preparing you a feast right now, lots of warm food to get your insides warm." She ignored the assessment from Lia and decided to watch Ghost twisting around in Marco's lap. She watched as his hands coated in that same shimmering glow and Ghost leant into his hands as he stroked his back.

"In you go," Lia lifted her from the ground and she was quickly submerged into the warm water. Her hands instantly went to hers and she gripped onto her tightly. She didn't like water; "It's fresh water, no sea salt here." Lia patted her hands and she gentle let her go. Sinking into the water until it was up to her waist she sighed. It was nice, and warm.

Lia stared at the young girl with concern written all over her face. She had barely said two words to them, and her reaction to Marco leaving was definitely worrying. Taking a leaf out of Thatch's book she started to hum the only lullaby she could remember while her hands worked quickly undoing the never ending nots and twigs that were stuck in her long hair. Looking over her pale skin she could see some new scratches and bruises across her arms and legs. But other than that, she seemed fine.

Cataloguing the new injuries she sustained she knew that the guardian commanders, and Pops would want to know everything that she had been through in the last thirty six hours.

"Knock, knock." She lifted her eyes from the dog and noticed Izo stepping into the room.

"Hey Princess, how you doing." The man walked towards her and knelt down beside the bath. He rested his arms along the sides and rested his chin on his hands.

She was about to answer when she heard a small bark. Izo looked down behind the bath and he laughed. She tried to peer over the sides but Lia pulled her back into the water.

"Who is this little guy?" Izo revealed Ghost in the palm of his hand. Ghost wagged his tail and began to lick the man's face.

"His names Ghost," Octavia whispered and the little puppy barked in acknowledgement.

"Someone's a little dirty to be called Ghost," Izo smirked and gentle placed the dog in the bath.

"Izo!" Lia growled shaking her head.

"What? He's fine." He defended seeing the dog standing in the water with his face just peaking above the water.

Octavia watched as Ghost started jumping around in the water, splashing her in the process. She laughed seeing him slip and fall under the water. Only then to stand up in complete shock. Her laugh brought on his barking and he bounded his way towards her.

Lia looked down at the girl who hadn't said boo, and now was laughing and smiling with the silly dog. She looked at Izo who was wearing a smug expression on his face. She responded by flicking water at him.

"Time to get out," Lia declared and heard a small whine from the girl.

"I have some new clothes for you darling," Izo held out a towel and she was quick to lean into his arms. He wrapped the towel around her tightly and lifted her from the water.

"Look at you ghost, you were white." He laughed pulled the small dog out and into his own towel. Ghost barked and tried to find his head through the bundle of towel that was wrapped around him.

Octavia clutched onto Marco's hand as he led her through the hallways and towards Whitebeard's room. Ghost was running beside her, and would lick her hand every now and again reminded her that he was still there. She looked up at the commander and felt a little better knowing that he had stayed with her the entire time Lia looked over her. She didn't want to see _that_ man again, she didn't want to feel his presence or even hear his voice. She wanted nothing to do with him.

As soon as the door was opened she saw the commanders all around the room and her brothers wrapped in blankets sitting at the table.

"Flick!" Luffy cheered while swallowing a mouthful of meat.

"Princess," suddenly she was plucked off the ground and into Thatch's arms. She placed her hands on the man's shoulders as he carried her towards the captain. She saw his large smile and she felt all the nerves she was feeling disappear.

"Come here my child," Whitebeard patted his knee and she appeared instantly in his arms; "Welcome home Octavia." He smiled down at her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered while fidgeting with the captain's jacket.

"As am I, I should have seen to you immediately." He let his fingers run through her long hair as she leant back into his chest; "You will always be safe here, no matter who may threaten you. Do you understand?" she looked up at him and nodded. She was now starting to understand what everyone was saying.

Letting her eyes close she heard a little growl below her. Moving in her spot she peered over Whitebeard's knees and saw Ghost trying to climb up to her.

"And who is this?" Whitebeard leant forwards and picked up the dog. He held the dog in the palm of his hand and watched as it tried to run in the air to get to Flick.

"His names Ghost. I found him, he's an orphan too." Octavia looked up at the man and hoped that he would let him stay.

"You are no orphan my child, you are surrounded by family." Whitebeard smiled down at her and placed the dog on his other knee.

"Stefan," he called and looked over at the corner of the room. The old dog lifted his head and made his way over to the chair, not overly impressed that he was called away from his bed.

"Here old boy, a brat of your very own." Whitebeard placed Ghost on the ground and earned a low whine from Stefan; "He's one of us now." Whitebeard laughed seeing the puppy jumping all over his old friend.

"He can stay?" she spoke out quickly in shock.

"Of course," he pulled her closer to him and she snuggled into his warmth.

"Are you alright my dear?" Whitebeard whispered down to her and he felt her nod against his stomach.

"Sleepy," she yawned and buried her face into his jacket.

"You must eat something before you head to bed." Whitebeard nudged her and her eyes opened with a struggle. Another yawn erupted and she turned to see her brothers staring at her.

"They were very worried about you," she looked up at the captain as he motioned towards her brothers. Guilt wracked through her body.

"I know." She looked over and noticed Ace and Sabo slowly shuffling apart from each other. Ace gave her a nod as he motioned to the now empty space between him and Sabo. She understood the signal as clear as day and there was no room to object.

"I will be watching over you, child." Whitebeard nudged his knee and forced her to stand.

"I better go," she hugged the man one last time before appearing in the vacant spot.

"You're never leaving our sights, you know that right." Ace commented while moving closer towards her. He pulled the blanket off his shoulder and wrapped it around hers. She moved into his side and found another source of warmth. No matter how much she tried she couldn't seem to get warm again.

"Don't ever try to run away again." Sabo mimicked his brother's authority.

"Yeah, cause we'll find you." Luffy added with his famous grin.

"Little creepy there Lu," she joked but earned a slap from her brothers. "Ouch, sorry, I'm sorry, I promise I won't run away." She whispered.

"I don't want anyone else to die because of me," she whispered; "Especially my brothers," her head fell onto Ace's shoulder and she felt him sigh beneath her. She was tired and all she wanted to do was curl up in her bed with her brothers smothering her.

"Idiot," Ace scoffed; "We're not going to die." He wrapped his arm tighter around her and she heard the youngest brother laugh.

"Yep, Ace promised. He won't ever die. Right Ace?" Luffy laughed and beamed at his oldest brother.

"Damn straight Lu."

"When did this happen?" Sabo asked looking at his brothers in complete confusion.

Octavia was overwhelmed by the words and comments of the other commanders in the room. She never thought that this wide spread of people, and some of them she didn't ever remember meeting, all wished her well and they all reminded her that she was not to worry about the World Government when Pops was around.

As soon as Lyon appeared with a trolley of food she was quickly swept into the man's arms and held hostage until he deemed her safe. She sat in his lap as she sipped at the warm drink he had given to her. She watched as her brothers scrambled across the table to reach the nearest piece of food that caught their eyes. No plate was safe from them, especially Luffy, who didn't even have to leave his seat to gather more food.

By the time the meal was over, at least until all the food had disappeared, Whitebeard declared it was bedtime for the entire crew. She yawned against Lyon's chest and he wrapped his warm arms around her. All night she had been passed around from Commander to Commander and right now her bed was calling to her. Her bed and her brothers.

"Thatch," she mumbled feeling another set of arms gather her up.

"Sleep Princess, you're home." He whispered and she let her eyes close.

* * *

"Again!"

Ace groaned, pushing off the wall and sprinting back to the opposite side. He hated this room. He hated the number seven. But most of all he hated the new drill Sergeant Marco. He thought he had been vicious before, but this was nothing compared to their first training sessions.

"Again." His voice droned through the whole room and he was surprised that the windows didn't shake.

"How much more Pineapple?" Luffy whined still three laps behind.

"How many more," he corrected him; "and until you four have learnt not to disobey orders." He bellowed and the young boy lowered his head and kept running. "And it's Marco brat."

"I don't see why I'm being punished," Octavia panted beside them only a lap behind Ace. She had sweat running down her body that glistened her skin.

"You run away again, and you're on your own." Sabo grunted catching up to Ace. She grinned knowing that he was only kidding.

"Seriously, it's your fault we left anyway." Ace snarled at the girl.

"I didn't ask you to come after me. I said goodbye." She added.

"Yeah and I said we're family. So get over it." Ace grunted with a sly smirk on his face, he was never going to let her win that argument.

"I don't think we've all learnt our lessons yet. We never run away from family, no matter what the danger is, and we never go off alone scaring the absolute shit out of all the commanders and Pops."

"Language!" the four brats responded causing Marco to roll his eyes. He wished he never started saying that every time a curse word was spoken. He was now the centre of everyone's jokes.

He stood at the front of the room and watched the four kids run up and down over and over again. He wasn't going to let them stop until they couldn't stand again, or better yet, so when they couldn't run away again. He could still remember how his heart sank when he heard the boys had run off to find their sister.

The entire commander force jumped into action and chased after the runaways. Initially Pops wanted enough commanders aboard, especially with an Admiral around. But as soon as the other three disappeared there was no room for debate, Pops sent every strong pair of hands out for the search.

"If Pops or anyone else gives you an order will you obey?" he asked waiting for the right answer and then maybe he would let them stop.

"Depends," Ace panted pushing off the wall next to him.

"Again." Marco ordered while trying to hold back his growl. These kids were going to be the death of him, or at least the reason for his newly forming grey hairs.

"If my brothers or sister are in trouble." Sabo added on as he made it to where Ace was just moments ago; "No order will stop us," he panted pushing off and following after Ace.

"Yeah Mister Pineapple, we're family." Luffy grinned barely able to run any longer. Marco just rolled his eyes.

"Another ten laps and its Marco, brat." He smirked hearing the lot of them groan.

"Afternoon lawbreakers," Thatch walked in with a tray of drinks in his hands.

"Thatch," Octavia beamed at her favourite commander.

"Save us," Sabo pleaded.

"He's reached a whole new level of insane." Ace added.

"Juice!" Luffy's hand stretched out while his was running and grabbed a glass off the tray.

Luffy's sudden halt caused Sabo to crash right into him. They tumbled to the ground while collecting Ace's feet with them. The three of them lay crashed on the ground not able to move a muscle. Octavia appeared lying flat on her back next to them, but made no attempt to move.

"You still have four more to go brats," Marco appeared towering over them with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I promise I won't run away again." Octavia pulled out her only weapon left. Biting her bottom lip she looked up at the commander and pleaded with him.

"Promise we won't sneak off to save Flick again without asking." Luffy added.

"Hey, I didn't need saving." She snapped at her younger brother.

"You were alone with a Marine Admiral." Ace retorted; "Yes, you needed saving."

"No, Smoker-san is nice. He's my friend." She defended.

"Pirates can't be friends with Marines." Sabo added.

"Yes you can, plus he was different." She crossed her arms over her chest and refused to look at her brothers.

"You can be friends with whomever you want," Thatch sat down next to the crumpled heap of children and passed out the drinks; "Hell, who knows, maybe having a friend as an admiral will come in handy in the future." Thatch smiled when Octavia slapped his knee.

"We do not use our friends," she spat but thanked him when she was handed a drink.

"Don't think of it as using your friends, think of it more as, a get out of jail free card." He laughed.

"I want a friend as a marine," Luffy beamed.

"Sure thing kiddo, anything you say." Marco patted the boys head hoping that whoever the hell was up there, that they didn't get these kids in any more trouble before he was old and retired.

* * *

_**"There are some that only employ words for the purpose of disguising their thoughts."**_

* * *

**So that was it, what did you think? - Yes, Smoker is good :D**

**Yes, Teach is still the Whitebeard Pirates Brother, just he somewhat grounded at the moment... grr**

**A few of you picked it up and questioned - Admiral Smoker... but he isn't an Admiral yet... :) **

**MASSIVE thanks to **

**Okami1001**

**Nala1220 **

**LilNightmare17**

_**You guys never fail to make me smile with your reviews and then conversations afterwards :D**_


	14. Chapter 14 - Past's revealed

**Hi there everyone, first off wanted to say sorry for the late update - I have been majorly sick :( **

**But I'm back and somewhat better :)**

**Hope this chapter will make up for it, a little more of Luffy's insight and him getting his mind strong again. **

* * *

**_ "A woman must not depend on the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself."_**

* * *

Octavia sat on Whitebeard's large bed with Ghost and Stefan circled protectively around her. She looked down at the wanted poster in her hands and felt her lip begin to tremble. The person that was staring back at her was something out of a horror story, this wasn't her. It couldn't be her.

But she knew it was.

She remembered when that photo was taken. She remembered the night they dragged her away from her wooden prison and forced her to sit in front of a camera. She refused to look at it. She could remember the grip the man had on her chin as he forced her to look forwards. She could remember how her jaw bruised and how it was hard for her to open it for the next few days.

Her heart started to pound in her chest faster and faster as she recalled those days. It was the time before the slavers, the time when the marines had hold of her. She spent so long with those people who killed her mother, with those monster who destroyed her home.

"Princess," she looked up from the wanted poster and saw Thatch staring at her anxiously.

She didn't know what to say. She knew that these people wouldn't stop looking for her, but now there was proof. Her picture was being spread around the world like wild fire. They were hunting her.

She was being hunted.

"The buster call?" she barely whispered seeing the words written as if they meant nothing. As if it wouldn't destroy countless innocent people's lives and tear apart an entire island. Erasing it from history.

"Nothing for you to worry about child. You will not be seeing another buster call." Whitebeard announced firmly and she nodded. She has been told this line over a thousand times since she had returned to the ship, and ever a few dozen times from Whitebeard himself. Thatch even went as far as showing her some of the old warrants they had out for their heads that included threatens of buster call attacks if they didn't surrender.

"What does this mean?" she pointed to the amount written at the bottom in big letters. She understood numbers and she knew how much things were, but here it looked strange. She noticed the familiar money sign but the rest she couldn't understand. It was a symbol she hadn't seen before.

"This symbol means, infinite." Thatch whispered not really wanting to answer her question.

"But then…" she looked at the paper again. They were offering an infinite amount of money for her.

"Child, the World Government is offering any reward to the person who captures you. A name your price deal." Whitebeard spoke explaining it better.

"Why do they want me?" she whimpered looking at the large man. She still didn't know, she couldn't understand what she had done to provoke these people. Why did they have to kill her mother and take away her life?

"I do not know my child. But together we will find out." He smiled down at her and she looked back at the paper. She read the words over and over again, but she couldn't get them out of her mind. There were going to be a lot of people hunting her for the rest of her life. She didn't know if she would be able to keep her small promise to Smoker-san, she didn't know how long she would be able to stay hidden for.

"You will always be safe here Princess, you know that right." Thatch knelt down beside the bed and gentle took the paper from her hands. He wanted to shred that piece of paper into a million different pieces and then light it on fire and then spread its ashes in a box and send it to the bottom of the sea. He never wanted anyone to see that thing ever again.

"Remember, you can borrow my muscles anytime you want." Thatch reminded her which got her to smile a little.

"You'll help me get stronger?" she whispered as Ghost jumped into her now free hands.

"Yes, every day we will all help you." He patted the dogs head and she finally smiled. "The Whitebeard Wolfpack is a force to be reckoned with, remember."

"Alright," she spoke looking at him then back up to Whitebeard.

Thatch had been worrying since the moment she asked about the buster call. She wanted to see the poster that her bothers had spoken about. She wanted to see what the World Government had written about her for her own eyes.

"Octavia, what can you remember anything from that day?" Whitebeard sat down on the bed next to her and she shivered. She didn't want to remember that day, but that was the only thing she could remember. Anytime she tried to remember her mother smile or her laugh all that flashed before her eyes were the screams and shouts as she was ripped from her arms. There were no happy memories left of her mother, or the home she used to have. All that was left was the pain of that day.

Shaking her head she crawled into the man's lap and buried her face into his jacket. Her brothers had confessed to her that they told the guardians about the day she was taken. But she didn't mind. If the situation was reversed there would be nothing she wouldn't do to save her brothers.

"Please Princess, we need to know." Thatch knelt down at the edge of the bed and placed a hand on her back.

"I don't remember." She whispered; "Not all of it." She looked at Thatch who quickly took her hand.

"Whatever you can remember, might help." Thatch spoke softly and she nodded.

"Mama screamed for me to run. But I couldn't. I was too scared." She clamped her hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut; "She fought back but there were too many of them."

"Marines?" Whitebeard asked and she nodded. She would never forget their uniforms as they stormed her village. She remembered sitting in a tree with her two friends below her. They were playing tag when they first saw the sails. That was the first time she saw flashes of her friends faces come across her vision.

She remembered them.

They were killed because of her.

Her only friends in the whole world who gave her a chance.

Her first friends.

And they were dead because of her.

"We saw their sails, and I ran back home." She could remember hearing her mother's voice calling out to her; "Mama was scared, she knew they were bad." She looked up at Whitebeard who smiled gentle down at her, hiding all his thoughts to himself.

"They came to our home, and mama hid me under the floor in our secret room. But they found me." Her eyes went wide as her memories flooded her visions. She could remember the stale smell as she hid in the secret room below the floor. She clutched her small toy to her chest as she peaked through the cracks. She listened as they stormed into her home and yelled at her mama, they demanded to know where she was. They came for her.

"And they killed her."

Whitebeard pulled her closer to his chest and made a mental note to investigate into this buster call attack. In all the reports and findings they had discovered over the countless years, he knew of only one buster call attack and that was on Ohara, and that was earlier than this attack. It is quite possible that after the word spread of the attack on Ohara they learned; learnt that secrecy is the key.

But to hear of another that has been kept in the dark for so long was a mystery. What did the World Government know of this child that they would resort to a buster call to capture her?

He listened to his son comforting the young girl and managed to break her away from the pain of her past and get her to smile back at him. He was more than proud of his sons and how they each rose to protect the four newcomers aboard his ship. He knew his sons were kind by heart, but he'd never imagined they would adopt the children as though they were their very own blood. It was something he treasured more than anything in this world.

"How about we go see what those troublesome brothers of yours are up to." Thatch scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. She giggled and waved goodbye to Whitebeard as she was carried out of the room.

* * *

"Say something kid," Marco stared down at the dark haired boy who had yet to say anything; "We can change them if you don't like them," his hand went to move the metal weapon away when Ace's hand snapped out and stopped it.

"They're perfect," he whispered looking at the four metal pipes laying perfectly on his bed. There were three different sizes; two large, a medium and a small one. Picking up one of the large ones he bounced it in his hands feeling the weight of it. It was just like the ones from Dawn Island but better, these felt stronger and sturdy. They wouldn't have to worry about them breaking during a fight. They could rely on their weapons.

Twisting it in his hands he noticed a small engraving at the top of it. Sliding the pipe down till it was at his eye line he noticed a small picture engraved. There was a large top hat with a wolf on it.

"Sabo's?" he asked looking up at the commander.

"There's one for each of you," he lifted up the other large one and turned it to face him; "Do you like it?" he looked at his own and saw the same wolf from Sabo's but this one was on his hat. Dropping them both back on the bed he picked up the smallest one and saw a straw-hat, and then the last one there was a sphere around the wolf.

"You did this?" he asked looking up at the man.

"Yes, I thought it would add a little character." He smirked, "And you will each know which one is yours. So I don't want any fighting over them if someone loses theirs." He laughed and ruffled the boy's hair.

"We won't lose them," Ace stated firmly. There was one thing they each took pride in and that was their weapons, Luffy's straw hat and Sabo's books. They wouldn't lose something to help protect them.

Twisting the pipe around, he felt a long engraving down the length of it. Looking from the top to the bottom he noticed the worlds etched into the metal, Whitebeard Wolfpack.

"You guys are really trying to make us one of you, huh?" Ace smirked at the man. He had noticed over the last few days the more and more times they were labelled with the name Whitebeard, or their clothes would have the small insignia of Whitebeard's flag on a shirt, or their shorts.

"Just accept it brat, you're one of us now." Marco picked up the weapons and wrapped them back in the cloth.

"Maybe," he shrugged and helped pick up the covered weapons. He couldn't wait to show his siblings the pipes he had designed for them, better yet, he couldn't wait to actually begin training with them. He wanted to get stronger, and he wanted to get stronger now.

"Marco," Ace stopped and turned to face the commander. Fidgeting with the cloth in his hands he looked down at his feet. He wasn't very good at this, and the last time he remembered ever doing something like this was back at Dawn with Makino.

"What is it Ace?" Marco knelt down in front of him.

"Thank you," Ace quickly turned and walked out of the room, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks he ran through the hallways with his head down and his hat covering his face.

Marco stood in the room a little shocked. He never imagined, Ace of all people, to actually stop and thank him. The boy rarely ever showed his true emotions, and right here, right now he got a glimpse of the boy beneath the tough mask.

With a grin plastered on his face he followed the boy and headed towards the galley.

* * *

Luffy stared at the man, who stared back at him. Neither of them wanting to lose their little battle. It was a matter of life or death, or in Luffy's case meat training or no meat training.

"Hit the target without meat." Izo growled.

"Target is meat," Luffy argued back.

"Reward is meat." Izo counted wanting to slap himself on the head for resorting to Luffy's language.

"No, meat is target." Luffy growled back not liking the new training arrangements. He didn't understand what was wrong with their current training methods. It was working perfectly.

"Kid, you need to learn how to hit a target without meat. What will you do in a real battle?" Izo rubbed the back of his neck trying to release some of the tension the young boy had given him.

"How about a deal?" Izo slumped back in his seat and watched the young boy copy his movements, "For every target you hit, you will get a piece of meat. After we complete your training. Sound fair?" Izo asked preying that the boy agreed.

"So, I'll still get the same amount of meat then?" he asked sceptically.

"Yes, you will still get the same amount of meat." Izo sighed not wanting to think about the impending argument with the cooks about the missing food again.

"We should teach you how to fish brat," Izo shook his head.

"I know how to fish, Sabo and Ace taught me." He beamed up at the man proudly.

"Oh really, maybe we should relax and enjoy a fish this afternoon." Izo stood up from his table and ushered the boy towards the deck. He was more or less wanting to haul the boy over to the side of the ship and start his relaxing now. He needed it after the morning he had.

"Hey Izo," Luffy sighed hitting another target. He had managed to hit each of his targets with ease. He was getting stronger every single day that he was training with his guardian.

"You can have your meat after you finish your exercises." Izo sighed watching the last three targets get hit by the young boy. He was impressed. He hadn't seen anyone with the worst aiming skills in all of history to come so far and be able to hit one hundred percent of is targets. They had even upped his difficulty to moving targets, but the kid was determined if nothing else.

He didn't want to admit that the harsh life that the brats had all been brought up in, didn't help motivate them to become stronger, but it was true, they were going to be a force to be reckoned with.

"No," he watched as Luffy sunk to the ground and rested his fist under his chin. Now this was something different. Izo moved towards him and sat down mimicking his position opposite him. There had been very rare occasions when Luffy would actually take on a serious air to him, and right now that was one of these times.

"What is it Luffy?" he flicked off his precious hat and forced the boy to stop hiding beneath its shadow.

"I'm worried." Luffy spoke sitting down and crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the empty space in front of him.

"What about?" Izo mimicked his position and sat opposite him. He stared at the boy who had suddenly gone silent. This was unlike Luffy, he was never quite. And when he was, everybody knew that they needed to be on their guard for the possible prank attack or loss of food off their plates. But this time was different.

"What's going to happen to us know?" Luffy whispered the question that had been haunting him for so long.

"What do you mean?" he pressed gently.

"We can't ever go back home. To our jungle or to Makino. Will I ever see her again?" with the small tremble of his lip, Izo pulled the sad boy into his lap.

"Luffy," he whispered as the boy slowly broke down in his arms.

"I'm not crying." Luffy sobbed and buried his face into his chest and for once he wasn't the least bit upset about the possibilities of his kimono being ruined.

"It's alright to cry Luffy, keeping things bottled up inside is not good for anyone." He reassured the boy but was granted with another round of sobs.

"Ace doesn't like cry-babies. He will call me weak." Luffy broke down and tried to furiously wipe the tears that fell from his face over and over again.

"You are not weak Luffy." Izo spoke firmly. He had no idea what it was with men and believing that showing emotions were weak. In fact he thought it was quite the opposite.

"Luffy look at me." He pulled the crying boy from his chest and forced his puppy dog eyes to stare up at him. "Crying is not a sign of weakness. Neither is showing your emotions. In fact a man who can proudly stand up for what he feels, and what he believes, is a stronger man than any other. Your strength and your power strives from your feelings. Do you understand?" he wiped the boy's snotty face with his sleeve and already admitted defeat with the loss of his kimono.

"It's okay to cry?" Luffy whimpered.

"Yes, in fact it will make you feel better and make you stronger." He whispered seeing the boy's eyes widen. "A real man, faces his feelings and proudly uses them." he pulled the straw hat back onto his head and was rewarded with Luffy's signature smile.

"One day Luffy, when you are strong enough, you will return home. And you will make Makino so very proud of you and of how far you've come." He whispered the truth.

"Promise?"

"I promise." And Izo did. He believed that the boy had all the potential in the world to complete whatever he set his mind onto. And he would be there every step of the way to make sure that none of his other stupid brothers messed with his head. He was going to make sure Luffy grew up with pride of his emotions and with his already large heart rested on his sleeves.

Luffy will be the greatest pirate the world has ever seen.

He will be strong.

He will be loyal.

He will be honourable.

He will have perfect aim.

* * *

Sabo stood at the entrance of the galley with his book wrapped tightly in his hands. He had been reading any book he could get his hands on lately, and then he found one book that caught his interest.

He stared at Namur who was currently talking with the other commanders. Taking in a deep breath to steady his nerves, he walked towards his guardian with new determination. He wasn't an idiot. He could tell that his supposedly appointed guardian was avoiding him like the plague and he wanted to know why.

At first he was angry, then he was hurt, and now he was confused. He didn't know what he had done wrong to offend the man. He thought they had started off on a good note, what happened to change that.

Whatever it was he was going to find out why.

"Namur," he spoke interrupting the group's laughter's.

"What do you want brat?" Namur stopped laughing and looked down at the blonde boy.

With practice ease Sabo flipped the book onto the table and pointed to the chapter heading. He had read this chapter over a thousand times, so much that he could almost recite most of it word for word. He wanted this so badly.

"What about it?" Namur read the lines and then looked back at the boy.

"Teach me." Sabo commanded; "Please," He ignored the snickers from the men behind him and continued to stare at the commander.

"Why would I teach you fishman karate? Why would you assume that I know it?" Namur grunted.

"I know you do, and you are my guardian. You are the one who is meant to help me when I'm in need. You're the one I'm supposed to turn to when I'm in trouble. Mister Whitebeard allocated you to me." Sabo smirked. He knew he was semi blackmailing him, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He would give anything to spend some time with his guardian like the rest of his siblings had with theirs.

He wanted to learn different styles of fighting, he wanted to be the one to catch his enemies off guard. And what better way was it then to learn a different animalistic way of fighting. Plus he was the ships navigator. But most of all he wanted to have something to share with his guardian.

He was jealous of the bonds his siblings had with their guardians. He wanted that too.

"No," Namur turned back to his friends completely ignoring him.

"I don't think you understand," Sabo interjected trying to keep his calm composer. He kept his hands on the table for he knew that if he lifted them, everyone would see how badly they were shaking. He didn't want to be rejected again, he didn't know if he would be able to handle it.

"What is it that I don't understand boy," Namur raised his eyebrow at the kid. He had spunk that was for sure.

"You are my guardian. Plus Mister Whitebeard already approved." He smirked.

"No he didn't, now go and annoy Marco." Sabo frowned. He thought that his little threat would work. Looking down at his hands he felt them start to shake along with his body. Letting them fall to his sides he tried hard to control the emotions that were running through him.

"Please Namur," he pushed all his pride aside and begged the man. He just wanted to learn something from him, he wanted him to be more than a commander who only showed up in a battle or when one of them went missing. He wanted to bond with the commander, he wanted what the others had with their guardians. He would settle for even a small conversation with the man, anything that showed that his guardian acknowledged him even in the slightest.

"No brat, now scram."

Sabo stared at the man's back. His entire resolved crumbled, he didn't understand why he wouldn't help him. The other three commanders did everything to help his siblings, and yes they included him with everything they did, but it wasn't the same. He didn't know what he did to make his commander guardian not want anything to do with him.

He refused to see him during their training sessions, he didn't want to be partnered up with the guardian and charge competition. Any time something big came up Namur was missing.

"I want to be different." Sabo spoke softly feeling his frustration rise; "I want to be able to defend my family. I need to be able to protect them. I don't want to be weak anymore, can't you see that." Turning around Sabo left the group and made his way up to the deck. He ignored the comments of the others passing by and headed straight for the side of the ship.

Throwing his arms over the side he let his chin rest on the wooden rail. He watched the fierce ocean as it lay calm for once. Closing his eyes he let the salt water rush through his senses and he sighed. He could feel this wash of anguish run through him. Rubbing his sleeve across his cheek he pushed away all signs of the rejection he felt. He hadn't felt like this in such a long time, not since his parents all but abandoned him as their son and only looked at him as their future reputation.

He was about to push off and look for Marco when a large shadow appeared next to him and blocked out the sun. He saw his large blue arms fall over the railing and mimic his own position.

"Why would you come to me kid?" Namur spoke looking out at the water; "Plenty of other men on this ship could teach you something different."

"You're different." Sabo whispered not looking at the man. "You're stronger than they are."

"It's because I'm a fishman?" Namur added with a little bit of spite.

"Yes and no," Sabo answered truthfully; "I've read many books about Fishman and Merman. Books created by men who have no idea about the real world, only about money and power." He spoke of the countless books his parents would force him to read. The way of nobility.

Namur looked at the kid.

"Is that why you don't like me? Because of where I was born?" Sabo asked not daring to look at the man. It wouldn't be the first time he was cast aside because of his heritage. He wouldn't blame him if that was the case, his parents, and people like them were horrible people. He just wished people would see him for who he was.

"Yes and no," Namur answered back in the same honesty that he had given. "When I first found out where you were from; I won't deny it, I hate them. But you're different." He looked up at the fishman for the first time.

"My parents," he scoffed at the idea of naming them parents, "forced me into my studies as soon as I could open my mouth. I read book after book about the world and the hierarchy, and their idealistic world. It sickened me." He looked down at his own hands.

"I ran away after I overheard them talking about buying a slave." Sabo spat.

Namur stared at the kid with new eyes. He knew the kid was from a family of nobles, and he hated that he judge the kid a little on that alone. But to hear his words and his thoughts was quite a surprise.

"Ace and Luffy remind me every day. If you want something you have to fight for it. No one is going to give it to you, you have to earn it." Sabo spoke with a hint of pride in his voice. He looked up at the sky and remembered those times in the jungle, their lives in their makeshift hide out. Life seemed so simple back then with just the three of them. "And blood means nothing, blood does not define who we are."

"I hate my parents, I hate the World Nobles and I hate the Celestial Dragons. They don't know what life really is, or what it truly means. They just take what they want, when they want, and they don't give two shits about who gets in their way." He scoffed remembering sailing towards the large ship docking at their island. "They just blow up your ship for just being there." He rubbed his arm where he had gained a scar from his burning ship.

"Wait what?" Namur caught the last of his statement.

"I wish I was never born from them." he whispered letting his guilt come out.

"Back to the blown up part," Namur turned and bent down forcing Sabo to turn towards him.

"Well yeah, it was back at Dawn. It's a long story but we crossed paths and my boat didn't survive. Hell I was lucky I made it out with just a few scars." Sabo tugged at his shirt and tried to cover up his mark. The scar on his face however was something he could never hide.

"And this one?" Namur pointed to the pink skin just below his eye.

"Yeah, was close too. Lucky I didn't lose my eye huh," he laughed and turned back towards the sea. To him it was in the past now. They had a lot more troubling things happen to them that shadowed those days.

"So why fishman karate?" Namur asked actually curious to hear his response.

"It would be quite the scandal to see the son of a noble fighting back with a style they deem created by the trash of the world." Sabo smirked. He'd love to see the look on his father's face as he destroyed his men with such a style.

"I want to show the world that everyone is the same. In the end, we all live and die, we all breathe the same air, we have a heart, lungs, hands, feet. I don't get why people see us so differently. A person should be judge on their actions not their blood." He whispered the last part.

It was something that he held true to himself, not just for him but for his brothers too. Ace's blood was his weakness. No matter how many times he told his brother that blood did no matter, it never truly changed his thoughts on it. To him he always viewed himself as the child of a monster, someone who never should have be born. But, his brothers were just people who were crazy enough to accept him.

"You better be prepared kid." Namur pushed off the railing and headed towards the training rooms.

Sabo stared at the man not sure what he meant. He went to call out when Namur waved at him to follow. A grin plastered on his face as he followed his guardian towards the training rooms.

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Marco shouted looking at the four kids sitting on the railing of the ship. That wasn't the problem, the problem was what they were holding.

"We're fishing Mister Pineapple Head." Luffy beamed tugging at his makeshift fishing pole.

"Those pipes are weapons, they are not to be used for fishing." Marco steamed looking at the brand new weapons in each of their hands. He had spent so many hours making sure that they would come out completely perfect, he did not spend those hours making fishing poles.

"But, we always use pipes." Sabo spoke up not quite sure what was wrong with the situation. All you needed was something strong and some line and bam you have fishing pole.

"We have real fishing rods," Marco sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. No matter how many times the kids did something strange, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness within his frustrations. He knew it wasn't their faults, this was what they grew up with.

"Reel them in, let me show you how it's really done." Marco headed towards the storage unit and grabbed the fishing gear out.

"I want to catch a sea king, I bet it tastes really good." Luffy beamed up at his brothers.

"Yeah, and maybe we can use you as bait," Ace flicked the top of his hat and watched as it got caught on the back of his neck.

"I'm not bait!" Luffy shouted standing to his feet. Sabo was quick to grab his pipe fishing pole and held onto it before it was tugged overboard.

"You would catch the biggest fish ever," Ace continued to joke. He liked seeing this side of Luffy compared to the depressed Luffy that had been appearing more and more lately. He did have to wonder what Whitebeard and Marco had said to him to at least get him to talk more about his dreams. But he was still yet to shout the words that he and Sabo were longing to hear.

His dream was to be the kind of the pirates.

It was that simple.

As much as he used to give his brother a hard time about his dream, he never doubted for a second that he wouldn't be able to accomplish it. He just wanted to hear his brother scream those words at the top of his lungs, he wanted to see his eyes close and his signature smile on his face as he clutched his straw hat to his head against the wind. This was his wish at the moment.

Only then would he really know that his brother was alright, that he was back to normal.

"Flick, tell Ace to stop being mean." Luffy's whine snapped him back, that and the hard slap on the back of the head from said girl.

"Don't be mean." She spoke firmly but kept a smile on her face. That was another thing he was happy about. These men on this ship had changed Flick. They changed all of them.

"Alright brats," Marco appeared and took their pipes out of their hands. "Repeat after me, weapons are not for fishing."

"But what if you're stranded on a boat, with bait and fishing wire but you don't have a pole? Would you rather us die of starvation, or use our weapon to help fish and effectively save our own lives?" Octavia sat on the railing with an incredibly smug expression on her face.

"You can starve," Marco grinned at the girl.

"I'm telling Thatch," she responded earing a small whack to the back of her head.

For the next few hours the five of them sat on the railing of the Moby Dick and collected several different types of fish. After each catch Marco would explain what type of fish it was and whether or not they would keep it for food or throw it back as it was too small.

Slowly each of their guardians had wondered around trying to find the little brats and they each ended up beside them with their own fishing rod in their hands.

"Whoa," Luffy laughed as he was tugged forcefully forwards. His hands gripped onto the fishing rod tightly as he tried to pull it back. His arms stretched out as the pole was being ripped from his grip, but he wasn't letting go.

"Luffy!" Izo screamed out seeing his charge getting overpowered by the fish below. Izo wrapped his arms around the boy and held his back against his chest as he still tried to pull in the catch.

"Let it go," Izo commanded but Luffy just laughed.

"It's a sea king, it's a sea king." Luffy beamed seeing the tip of the monster reach the surface.

Thatch was quick to grab hold of the pole with Luffy and helped the boy tug in the thing.

"Damn, that's a big one." Thatch laughed feeling its force resisting against them.

"Go Luffy!" Octavia cheered passing her pole over to Marco who was quick to reel the lines in and move to help with the disaster waiting to happen. Ace and Sabo quickly untied their fishing wire from their pipes and readied themselves for the attack.

"Vista! Kill it!" Marco yelled out seeing the other commander walking towards them. A flash of panic flashed across the commander's eyes as he rushed towards the railing. Leaning over he could see the top of a very, very large fish below them.

Unsheathing his weapons he jumped from the railing and aimed his blades downwards.

Octavia ran to the side and watched with wide eyes as the commander unleashed a series of deathly blows to the fish below. That man had a hell of a lot of skill.

"That was incredible!" Sabo cheered joining his siblings on the side of the ship. Vista was standing on top of the dead monster with a smug smile on his face.

"Can we eat it now?" Luffy beamed letting go of the slack line and peering over the edge at his catch.

"Sure thing kiddo," Thatch ruffled the boy's hair and could just imagine the look on Lyon's face when they dragged that thing into the kitchen.

* * *

"You can't cheat like that!" Ace stood up and yelled out at his sister. He was annoyed. Not once in his life had he ever lost a game of Marines vs Pirates, but he couldn't for the life of him catch his sister. And then to make matters worse, she would always trick him and then free his captured pirate brothers from their make shift prison of wooden crates.

"You never said no powers," he glared at his sister who was sitting on top of the mast with her arms placed smugly on her hips. He hated it.

"It's a given!" he yelled back feeling his face go red with anger. He didn't like cheaters. Not when he was the one they were using it against. He looked at Sabo who was the first person he had managed to tag, and then capture.

"You're the marine this time." He grumbled and moved to stand next to Luffy who was bouncing on his feet ready and waiting for the next found to start.

"Fine, but no powers Flick." Sabo laughed seeing his brother face. Ace was not someone who liked to lose, ever. Whether it was a real fight or just a pretend game he didn't like losing, ever.

"Turn around Admiral," Octavia sung and quickly grabbed Luffy's hand as Sabo's back was turned towards them and he started counting out loud.

"Let's go," she yanked onto Luffy's hand and pulled him across the deck of the Moby Dick thinking of the best place to hide from the big bad marine. But most of all the room she was thinking of had two doors and a window if she had to do a last minute dash to escape.

They dodged through the crowd of pirates who all but stood still and let the kids run around them.

"We're going to find the best place to hide right Flick," Luffy beamed up at his sister. He was so happy playing with his family. Even happier that he had actually won a round or two, mainly because his sister helped him. But for once he got to see Ace lose and that was the funniest thing he had ever seen in his life.

They were running down the stairs off the deck and heading towards the commanders quarters.

"Of course," his sister laughed and she tugged on his hand to turn down the next corridor. He didn't know where they were going, but he didn't care. She was smart enough to know where to hide, if he had to hide by himself he would have hidden behind the crates next to the mast.

They rounded the final corner but both stopped in their tracks when they came face to face with Teach.

Octavia tried to pull Luffy behind her, but he wouldn't budge.

Luffy glared at the tall man who stood in front them with a blank look on his face. They all seemed too shocked to even speak. It had been a week since the event and they had yet to see him, and that was something that everyone was grateful for.

"Octavia," Teach spoke softly.

"Don't call her that." Luffy growled, "Only special people can call her that." He stepped in front of his sister and spread his arms out protectively. If it came down to it, he would protect his sister with his life.

"I'm sorry Flick-"

"Or that." Luffy snarled. He didn't get to call his sister her special name either. He didn't deserve to speak to his sister after what he had done. He wouldn't forgive the man. Teach glared down at him and any other time he would run for his brothers. But this time was different. He had to protect his sister. He had to stop her from feeling that feeling.

"Look brat, I'm trying to apologise here." Teach sighed getting frustrated.

"Good, you did it. Let's go." Luffy tugged on her hand and headed down a different corridor. He didn't feel like playing anymore. He was angry.

He didn't like that man.

He didn't like his apology.

That wasn't how you apologise for something.

He led them both towards their bedroom where he would be able to shut the door and be alone with his sister. It was their safe place.

"Luffy," Octavia whispered as he slammed their bedroom door closed and crawled onto her bed. She slide in beside him and lay her head next to his. She had never seen Luffy so angry before. She had never seen him like that, and it somewhat scared her. She wasn't scared of him, scared of his changing and she wasn't sure if it was a good change or not.

"Thank you, for standing up for me." She whispered and pulled him into her chest. Finally she felt him sigh and wrapped his arms around her.

"Ha, found you!" Sabo pushed the door open quickly, "you're under arrest!" he jumped onto the end of the bed ready to tag his siblings when he froze. "What's wrong?" he sat down all thoughts of the game completely disappeared.

* * *

_**"Silence is the most powerful scream"**_

* * *

**So what did you think?**

**Little bit of each of the brats and their guardians. Many people have asked the significance of Izo with Luffy - well I wanted him to give Luffy a sort of nurturing bond. Someone who will show Luffy that it's okay to be different and that he should embrace is and not hide from it and in a way it makes Luffy so accepting to so many different types of people in his future - like a skeleton for a crew member... etc**

**But also Luffy is growing - mentally that is - he is starting to accept what happened to them and is growing from it. :D**

**Sabo and Namur :D Finally they can bond yay **

**Thanks for everyone who reviewed - and my new reviews thank you :D **

**Will always answer your questions quires etc - Love your ideas too - many of you are kinda on the right path to what i'm thinking anyways. **

**Next up : Attack of the Moby Dick! - but by whom! **


	15. Chapter 15 -Attack on Moby

**Hi there everyone! Here is the next chapter :D **

**Thanks to everyone for their reviews and thoughts - but still no one guessed the attacker ;) But you will find out below :D**

* * *

**_'You can sacrifice and not love, but you cannot love and not sacrifice.'_ **

* * *

Octavia sat in Whitebeard's office with a large book in her hands, her eyebrows were creased together in complete frustration. She stared down at one word that was just mocking her. She knew the letters, she could easily tell what each of them were. But she could not for the life of her pronounce the word.

"Sound it out," Whitebeard called from his desk as he was working through the never ending stack of papers that seemed to be piled on his desk daily. He didn't even peer at her but he knew that she was stuck on a word. She had no idea how the man would always be able to tell when she was stuck on something, but he knew, he always knew.

"Shish – shishi – booka." She sighed and threw her body backwards onto the pillows in defeat. Ghost barked from her feet and immediately ran to her face and started to lick her. She couldn't help but laugh as he did that. He seemed to be her personal cheer squad for when she did anything in Whitebeard's office. She couldn't believe how much Ghost had changed in such a short time, his cuts and bruises were vanished and his fur was beginning to grow longer and healthier. But he was still small, that was something that was going to change too.

"Schichibukai," Whitebeard pronounced for her and she repeated it over and over. Sitting back up, she looked at the word and repeated it again. She wasn't going to forget it.

"That's it," he smiled at her after hearing her repeat it.

"Thanks," she smiled and looked back down at her book.

She continued to read through the words out loud and Whitebeard listened and helped correct her words whenever she got confused. This had happened a few times now over the last week. She had been given a book from Thatch and she couldn't read the cover. After that moment he picked her and the book up and marched into Whitebeard's office. From that moment she would come to him every day for a few hours and just read.

At first she refused, not wanting to burden the man with her reading, or lack thereof. She was happy just looking through the pictures and she could make out most of the words, and most of the time it was enough for her to tell what was going on. But Whitebeard sat her down on his bed and opened the book for her. His silent command to start.

Marco had come in a few times today and would smile at her before reporting in to Whitebeard. He often kept his voice low and she tried to listen in a few times. But with a small glance from the commander she snapped her eyes back to her book and continued to read out loud. Marco would complement on her reading before he left and promised to bring in a snack the next time he came.

Whitebeard folded away his book and she smiled.

Taking that small window of opportunity she closed her own book shut and appeared on top of his desk and looked up at the man.

"Are you finished?" she asked hoping that it was a yes. She wanted to spend some time with him and hear his stories, and unlike her youngest brother she waited until he was finished with whatever he was doing before she bothered him.

"For today I am," he laughed patting her head.

"Are we near any islands yet?" she asked looking down at the map beside her. She wished to know how to read maps, but first she wanted to learn to read anything, and besides, that was Sabo's job.

"In three days we will come across an island. It will be a winter island." He explained pointing to where they were and where the island was.

"Winter?" she gasped and looked at the man, "Will there be snow?"

"Yes, there should be snow." He laughed seeing her eyes light up.

"I've only ever seen snow, I've never felt it before." She started to plan out all the things her and her brothers would be doing in the snow. She wanted to build a snowman, and she wanted to make snow angels and try to eat it. She had heard and read about the fun things people did in the snow but she never had the chance.

"In three days my dear that will all change." He ruffled her hair. She looked up at him with all her excitement building up, but his smile was not matching hers. She could see the way his eyes darted out of the windows across the room and the way they narrowed.

Suddenly she was pulled off the desk and into his lap, his arms wrapped tight around her.

"Everything will be alright," he spoke to her. She was about to question what he meant when she felt it. The entire ship tilted in the sea and she heard the loud crash in the water so close to them. It sounded like an explosion had just erupted right outside the door, a small scream bubbled to her lips and she buried her face into the man's coat.

She remembered that sound, she could remember the spurts of water that erupted around her as the cannonballs missed them. She remembered Ace's hand wrapped around hers as they dodged for their lives, she remembered that feeling of being targeted by those people. Of being hunted.

"You are safe, I will not let anyone hurt you." Whitebeard spoke down and gentle rubbed her back as another crash was heard. She could hear the sounds of the pirates above them all yelling and shouting. She could make out Marco's voice above them all as he ordered the other's around.

"My brothers," she pulled back suddenly remembering that they were not with her.

"They are in the infirmary with Lia, they are safe." He spoke trying to keep her calm.

"I need to go see what is happening up-"

"No please don't leave me," she whimpered gripping onto his jacket tighter.

"You will be safe below deck. The fight will take place on the deck." He picked her up and placed her back on his bed. Stefan and Ghost both jumped up and circled her protectively. "Keep her safe boys," he earned small growls from both the dogs.

"Be quick," she rushed out seeing him grab his weapon from the corner of the room.

"Count to three hundred and I will be back." He ordered and she nodded. Ghost jumped in her lap and she cuddled the puppy to her chest and started to count slowly. Whitebeard never broke his promises, if he said he would be back within three hundred seconds, then he would be.

She was up to one hundred when she noticed a shadow against the wall. Turning around she noticed men hanging onto the railings outside of the windows. She could see their white uniforms as they passed the first window. She waited for them to appear in the middle window. Her eyes darted between the three windows as she could hear their hushed voices of the people outside.

Stefan jumped off the bed and stood on the ground below her, growling at the windows. Ghost followed and stood next to his mentor. She stood on the bed and followed the dog's movements and stood on guard. Her hands were already facing towards the windows and she waited for them to move on.

Prayed that they moved on.

One man pressed his hands against the glass and she could see his face peering inside. He looked around the room before his eyes stopped on her. She felt her fear bubble to the back of her throat when his eyes locked onto her. She was found.

Glass shattered all around her.

She pulled her shield to protect her and the dogs as she covered her head. She could hear her scream echo around the room as the glass bounced off her shield.

"That's the girl." She looked up and saw a man looking from a black piece of paper and then back to her. There were five men in the room. Five men all looking and searching for her.

"Remember to cover her eyes, it's the only way to stop her." Another man spoke raising his weapon and her eyes widened.

"Tranquilisers only."

Looking around the room she contemplated what to do. Should she stay and hide in her shield or run and find someone to help her or she could fight. Her pipe was nowhere to be found and she remembered leaving it in her room that morning. Ace was going to kill her when he heard about this.

Stefan growled a menacing growl that caused a few of the marines to stumble backwards. She had never seen this side of the old dog before, yes the others on board had described him to be the monster guard of the Whitebeard Ship, and now she could see why.

She climbed down off the bed and stood next to Stefan. His eyes glanced to her and then she felt his entire body weight back up against her legs. She stepped backwards and the dog kept pushing her towards the door. She watched as the marines countered a step forwards for every step she took. Pulsing her shield they all stopped.

"Stop!" a marine shouted as she felt her back press against the door. She looked down at Stefan as he pressed himself lower to the floor ready to strike. Her hand gripped the handle of the door ready to run. It seemed that Stefan had decided her actions for her. He told her to run, to find Whitebeard, to find anyone else.

She watched as the marines lifted their rifles and aimed directly at them. Her heart pounded in her chest as the shots were fired. A scream burst through her lips as she turned around from the shots and clamped her hands over her ears. She could feel as each of the bullets ricocheted off her shield and flew somewhere else in the room.

Her hand pressed firmly against the door handle and then she felt it move. There was someone else on the other side. She was about to fling it open, hoping to find Whitebeard or one of her guardians. But then she heard their voices.

"Shots fired in the lower east room," she heard a voice from behind the door and all hope was lost.

The door flew open and she moved backwards. Ghost moved to her front and she was surrounded. Looking over her shoulder she could see Stefan still growling at the marines that crashed through the windows, while Ghost growled at the newcomers.

"You're surrounded girlie. Lower the shield and come quietly." A man stepped through the door and crouched down to look at her in the eye. Her eyes widened looking at the familiar face.

It was the same man from the island.

The marine that worked for Smoker-san.

The one that had discovered her in that alley.

Smoker-sama.

"Where is Smoker-sama?" She growled. She trusted the Admiral, she knew that he wouldn't go back on his word.

"That traitor? He's no longer in charge." He laughed to himself; "And I suppose I have you to thank for that, don't I, Octavia." He pressed his hand against her shield and she tried hard not to flinch back. She threw pulse after pulse but the man just laughed at her.

"I don't see how a great man like Smoker the White Hunter, would ever turn his back on the marines for a brat like you."

"Smoker-sama is an honourable man!" she snapped back angrily. Ghost growled in front of her, almost agreeing with her statement.

"Now, now Octavia. You wouldn't want a buster call to happen would you? How do you think you're precious pirates would stand up against five elite admirals?" the man goaded and she growled along with her dogs.

"They'd kick their ass." She bit back and the man laughed.

"Surround and attack the shield. She can't hold it up forever." He ordered and the marines surrounded her small shield.

She knelt down on one knee and pressed her hands onto Ghost and Stefan's backs. Throwing as much of her energy as she could she burst at her shield and watched as the marines surrounding her were thrown backwards and hit various walls.

"Let's go," she whispered as her eyes spotted and empty place in the middle of the corridor outside of the office. All the marines were inside the room now and she felt the onslaught of attacks on her shield. She winced each time they connected with the solid air surrounding her.

Disappearing from her spot she landed outside the door with her hands still holding onto the dogs. Without glancing back she looked down the corridor and towards the set of steps that led to the deck of the ship.

Lowering her shield she pushed off the ground and ran towards the stairs.

"Get her!" she could hear the commands of the marines behind her as they chased after her.

"Don't shoot you idiot. I said tranqs only!" another shout was heard and the sounds of bullet fire stopped. They needed her alive to collect her reward.

She ran faster and faster down the corridor. Looking ahead she disappeared from the spot and landed at the top of the stairs. Ripping open the door she heard the barrage of shouts and fighting from the deck. Her eyes searched around and she could see Thatch at the front of the ship fighting off a dozen marines, along with Marco who was in his phoenix from, throwing men off the ship and into the waters below.

"Whitebeard!" she screamed seeing the man sitting at his thrown. His eyes connected to hers in a flash and he was on his feet his hand reaching out towards her. She was about to appear to him when her vision disappeared and her body was thrown into the air.

"Whitebeard!" she screamed and pressed her hands against the mesh bag that trapped her. She forced her shield out but it did nothing to help her. Again and Again she ripped at the material bounding her but it wouldn't tear.

Loud growls and barks erupted around her but they made no contact.

The man holding her moved further away and she could almost feel the Captain's eyes on her. She squeezed her eyes shut holding back the tears that threatened to flood down her face.

"Whitebeard." She whimpered trying to claw her way through the mesh prison.

"Let my daughter go." His loud voice erupted around the entire deck and she felt her being stopped. Her heart pounded in her chest.

Whitebeard was coming for her.

He called her his daughter.

He would save her.

"Papa!" her voice screamed out to him.

* * *

Ace sat on the horrid infirmary bed with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't like this place one bit. And he fought with every fibre in his body about being there. He stared at his younger brother as he sneezed again for the thousandth time.

Luffy needed to be there, not him.

He wasn't sneezing or coughing.

He didn't have snot running down his face.

So what if he had a slight temperature, that meant nothing.

He was not sick.

"Toughen up little man, you are not winning this battle." Lia appeared with a too smug look on her face as she walked towards his bed with a needle ready in her hand. He growled at her and she just laughed it off.

"One shot and one nights rest in here and then, and only then, if you have no more symptoms you are free to go." She smirked as he pushed his arm out to her. He knew there was no getting out of this.

"There's a good boy," she pet his head and he growled at her. He was not some dog.

"Now go to sleep," she snapped before leaving the room and into her office. He heard a laugh and he snapped his eyes to his brother who was trying, not very hard, to keep the smile of his face.

"Ace is such a good boy, isn't he?" Sabo mocked; "Do you want a treat?"

Ace rolled onto his side and launched his pillow at his brother. Sabo quickly dodged it and retaliated with his own pillow.

"I want to play," Luffy appeared at the end of Sabo's bed and threw his pillow not even remotely hitting anyone. "No fair," he whined rubbing his snotty nose followed by another sneeze.

"Get back into your beds, now." Lia reappeared and had her angry face on.

The three of them looked at Angry Lia and quickly picked up the nearest pillow and sat back down in their own beds. It wasn't until they were each lying down with their blankets covering them completely did her face soften and Nice Lia was back.

"Now try to sleep," she smiled sweetly at them before returning to her office.

Sabo looked over to his brother and their expressions mimicked each other's. Lia was their resident bipolar nurse. One second she was the nicest lady in the world and then the next she was on par with Whitebeard himself. She was the true force to be reckoned with, not them.

Just as Ace was about to fall asleep he felt the entire room shift. Sitting up quickly he looked over to his brothers and saw them do the same. Something was happening. And then they heard the explosion.

"Ace…" Luffy's voice whimpered and he threw himself off the bed and towards his little brother.

"What's going on?" Sabo questioned as the room tilted towards the other direction and an explosion was heard in the distance.

"Cannon fire," Lia ran out of her office and braced herself against the door frame as the room tilted.

"What!" the three boys yelled.

"Who is it?" Sabo asked frantically looking over to Ace as they clutched onto their bedding trying to stop themselves from being knocked around.

"I don't want to go back." Luffy whimpered as he sling shot himself over to Ace's bed.

"Idiot, I'm not letting anyone take you, you got that." He rubbed his back gentle and could feel his tiny hands gripping into his jacket.

"Flick!" Sabo spoke and quickly threw himself off the bed. He grabbed his pipe that was sitting against the wall and armed himself.

"You are not going anywhere young man, Flick is safe with Pops. He will not let a single bad thing happen to her." Lia blocked his path.

"She was in his room. I'll be two minutes. I'll get her then come straight back here." Sabo tried to reason with her but she stepped forwards and she threw her arms out blocking his path to the exit.

"I am not letting you wonder those halls alone." She moved towards the door to lock it, when it was suddenly thrown open. Her body was thrown backwards and to the ground.

"Lia." Sabo ran forwards but stopped when a large man stepped into the room. His white uniform was enough to tell them who was attacking the ship. Sabo gripped his pipe tighter and stepped in front of Lia ready to defend her.

"Where is the girl," the man spoke and Sabo growled. They were looking for Flick.

"I'm not telling you anything," he spat lifting his pipe ready to go in offensive mode. There was no way he was letting this man leave the room without a fight. He would protect his sister.

"Sabo," he felt Lia stand up behind him.

"You," the marine stepped forwards reaching out for Lia and Sabo attacked.

Sabo winced as his attack was turned around against him and he was thrown across the room and slammed against the back wall.

"Sabo!" his brother's shouted for him as he slumped to the ground.

"Tell me where the girl is."

Ace looked back and felt his anger boil. Lia was pressed up against the wall with the large man's hand gripping her throat. He could see his body pressed against hers as her toes scurried to try and find the ground. Her fingers were clawing at his hand that was cutting off her air supply.

"Bite me," Lia spat in his face.

"Oh don't worry. I will." The marine snarled and Ace flew off the bed. He grabbed Luffy's pipe and launched into the air. He aimed and swung with everything he had into the man's back. The marine flew sideways from the impact and crashed into a cart. Ace moved to stand in front of Lia who was now on the ground gasping for air.

"Ace," she whimpered and he bent his knees and gripped his weapon with both hands ready to defend or attack. No one was touching them, especially Flick.

"Brat," the marine snarled and turned and swung at him. Ace ducked quickly and slid out of the way. Swinging his arm he landed a blow on his shins.

"Gomu Gomu Pistol!" Luffy shouted from atop of his bed and threw his punch as hard and as fast as he could. Not realising he had closed his eye he looked up and noticed that his aim was way off and headed towards the wall beside the attacker.

Sabo saw the attack and quickly jumped into action. Pushing himself off the wall he plunged his pipe into the ground and used it as leverage to kick his feet into the man's side and sent him into the path of Luffy's fist.

They all watched in satisfaction as the man slumped to the ground in a heap, with a red lump forming on the side of his face.

"Don't you dare touch our Lia!" Luffy growled.

"Stupid kids," the marine grunted before pulling two pistols out from his belt. Sabo faulted and stared at the gun pointing towards him.

Ace tried to move forwards but the second gun was quickly pointed towards Luffy.

"Move and he dies."

Ace growled as he heard Luffy's whimper behind them.

"Coward," Ace snarled and watched as the marine slowly pushed himself against the wall and used it to get back onto his feet.

"Now tell me where th-" his words was cut off as Lia appeared in a flash and landed a roundhouse kick into the man's face. Turning around she picked up a syringe off the table and jabbed it into his neck.

"There are strictly no weapons in my infirmary." She panted, while watching the man slowly collapse to the ground holding his neck.

Ace stared at Lia in complete shock. She had moved so quickly, and that power to her kick was nothing he had every expected from her. The needle, with some form of deadly toxin he could imagine, but not her strength.

"Shut that mouth boy, I am a Whitebeard Pirate you know." She smirked at the boy who shut his mouth quickly.

"Now let's search him." She smiled wickedly which made Ace requestion her sanity.

''Oh shit."

Ace glanced over her shoulder to see what she had found. His eyes widened as he saw Flick's wanted poster staring up at him.

"Let's go." Sabo had reacted quicker than him, as he grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the door.

"Luffy, protect Lia with your life, she's your responsibility now." Sabo commanded and saw the boy nod. He knew that Lia was now more than capable of protecting herself and Luffy. But he knew that if their youngest brother didn't have some form of task then they would be having him join them, and that would only cause them to be distracted.

"Whitebeard's office?" Ace asked as they ignored Lia's protests and ran out into the corridors. They could hear the commotion and fighting better now that they were outside. Looking up they could just imagine the all-out battle that was happening three floors above them.

They both ran through the corridors with their eyes and ears open, and their weapons ready to strike at the earliest moment. When they finally reached Whitebeard's office they froze.

"Flick…" Sabo gasped at the scene before them.

"Where is she?" Ace whispered looking at the broken glass that covered the entire floor of the room. He could feel the breeze that flew in through the broken windows. His eyes searched around the room and he could tell where someone, or a few people were thrown again the glass cabinets on the other side of the room. There were a lot of people in this room other than just Flick, and there were more than just one sign of a struggle.

"Let's go find Namur and the others." Sabo pushed his arm and they headed towards the deck.

Sabo was panicking on the inside. There was no sign of Flick anywhere. She was meant to be safe, she was meant to be safe inside the ship. But they came for her just like she had feared. And now she was missing.

"Oi, get them." Turning a corner they came face to face with a barrage of white dressed men.

Ace felt his anger rise. He knew that the man in the infirmary was a marine, but he had stray thoughts that the man was acting alone. But now he knew he was wrong.

"Sabo," he whispered and earned a nod from his brother. They were both ready. They would take on an infinite number of marines, pirates or slavers if it meant getting back to their sister.

"Stand down boys, or you will be harmed." A marine stepped forwards and drew his blade to face them. Ace growled louder. There was something he hated just as much as being attacked by shitty marines, was being underestimated by them.

"Where is our sister?" Sabo growled with more hate than Ace had heard of in a long time. Ace didn't wait for them to respond and launched himself right into the fray of it. He swung his pipe aiming from one marine to the other. A small satisfied smiled worked its way onto his face as he heard bones breaking beneath each of his swings. He would destroy anyone who touched his family.

"Couldn't wait could you?" Sabo groaned when their backs connected and they faced off the surrounding marines.

"No." Ace answered and felt his brother prepare himself. They had fought enough times in their life to know and feel each other's cues on when to attack and when to defend.

"Now." Sabo commanded and they both flew forwards.

"Papa!"

Their heads snapped up as the last of the marines fell to the ground. These marines were nothing compared to their training with their gramps. He knew for a fact that these foot soldiers were nothing compared to ones that trained under that man. These men were weak.

"Flick," Sabo kicked a marine as he reached for his pistol and headed straight towards the flight of stairs that led to the deck of the ship.

"Hold on," Ace whispered to himself as he followed after his brother up the stairs.

Rushing up the stairs they both froze at the sound of her scream. Taking the steps two at a time they pushed themselves out onto the deck of the ship and searched for their missing sister.

"Put her down now." Whitebeard's voice seemed to echo around the entire ocean.

Octavia could hear him. But she was still moving. They were still taking her away. She didn't want this, she didn't want to be taken away.

"Papa."

"Get her in the box and to the ship immediately." A voice surrounded her and she felt her heart race.

"Let me go!" she screamed and thrashed against the bag she was prisoned in. She threw her shield out again and again but she couldn't make contact with anything. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she felt her body being lowered.

They were putting her in a box.

Back in the small wooden prison.

They were taking her.

They would take her back there.

Panic flooded through her entire body at the thought of going back. With thoughts of never seeing her brothers again, never seeing her family again.

"Papa!" she screamed as she felt her body drop suddenly and she hit the hard ground.

And then she heard thumping all around her, bodies were falling all around her.

Her hands pushed through the material until she pried herself free. But she was inside a new prison, one that she was very familiar with, a wooden crate.

Her hands pressed against the wood as a sob broke through her lips. The darkness surrounded her; there wasn't a single gap in the wooden planks in the crate. They made sure she couldn't see out at all. She could feel the cold metal of the sea stone holding the box together, but even with her resistance to it, she couldn't see anything.

"Papa," her voice whimpered as she banged onto the wood; "Thatch." She cried pounding harder. "Marco," she pressed her shield against the wood and pounded with all her strength. "Izo," her hands slid down the rough wood as she fell to her knees. "Ace. Sabo. Luffy." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she pounded again and again, while begging for someone to save her.

Thatch watched the entire thing with fear. For that split second Flick wasn't Flick, but his sister, Rin. He saw her being dragged off and thrown into a small box.

Slicing through the four marines surrounding him he made his way through the crowd, cutting down anyone who was in his path. His blood pumped through his veins faster as he pushed forwards, sweat rolled down his skin as he sliced through another man. His eyes only focused on his girl. He had to get to her. He had to save her. He watched in horror as she was thrown into the crate and sealed away.

"Papa!" her scream made him stop and freeze as a wave of warm air rippled through him. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the nearest marines to her, clutch their heads and fall to the ground. He watched as more foot soldiers collapsed to the ground around them.

"Thatch." He heard her call to him and he pushed himself forwards. Marco was by his side instantly as they took down the marines left standing around her prison.

"Princess," he shouted as he fell down next to the crate. Marco and Izo protected his back as he moved his hands over the seals.

"Marco," her voice trembled.

"We're right here Princess. I'm right here." He spoke over the shouts but all he could hear was her crying and her calling out other's names. Jamming his sword into the lock he snapped it off.

"Princess!" he ripped the lid off and instantly he was engulfed in hands. His arms wrapped around her as she sobbed into his chest; "I've got you. You're safe." He held back his own emotions as he stood up with her still in his arms.

He looked over to his Pops and he could see the fury that resonated in him. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his Pops this angry before, he doubted that he had ever seen him this angry before.

Whitebeard stepped forwards and instantly commanded the attention of everyone on board, both pirate and marine. Slamming the end of his bisento onto the deck.

"You can come into my waters and attack my ships." He spoke loudly and stepped closer to the hoard of marines that were starting to understand the severity of the situation they were in.

"You can try to attack my sons." The Whitebeard pirates slowly moved away from the marines already knowing what was about to happen.

"You can even try to kill me." His voice echoed through the air, it felt as though every being on the grand line would hear his threats.

"And I will watch with a smile, as my sons counter every attack." He spoke proudly earning a grin from each other his sons.

"But you dare threaten my daughter, or my youngest sons." His voice roared.

Octavia lifted her face off Thatch's chest and looked at the man who had just declared her his daughter. She was the daughter of Whitebeard. He was her father. Wiping the tears off her face she felt a small smile reach her lips.

"You dare touch my daughter." Whitebeard turned to look at her and she sat up a little straighter. She could be stronger now. She didn't have to be afraid ever again. Wiping her eyes and cheeks she tried to remove all evidence of her fear she had been feeling. She wanted to show everyone there, including her now father, that she could be strong, that she was strong.

She was a Whitebeard.

"And you will face me." His voice caused many marines to drop their weapons to the ground in surrender. She looked around and finally saw the same man from before. The one from the island, and the one who threatened her first. The one who threatened Smoker-sama.

"Be right back." She whispered to Thatch, remembering his warning from the last time she disappeared from him, and appeared on Whitebeards shoulder.

"Papa, that man was from the island. He was the one who tried to shoot me." She spoke to her new father and he abruptly turned to face the now cowering man behind the crate she had been forced into.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she felt all the fear and anxiety vanish completely. She almost felt invincible sitting on the world's strongest man's shoulder. She actually almost felt sorry for the marines that were aboard their ship, and the pain they were about to receive, almost.

"Who ordered this attack?" Marco appeared next to them flanking his side. He wanted to gather as much information before his Pops destroyed absolutely everything and then they would be left with no information.

"That man said that Smoker-sama was a traitor. This was his team, until he took it." She voiced her knowledge to her commander and she saw him nod.

"Get off my ship." Whitebeard spoke so softly that she almost didn't hear it. She looked around at the marines and a few smart ones quickly jumped over the railing and into the water below. But for the rest they weren't so lucky.

"Get off my ship, now." Whitebeard threw his arm into the air and seemingly punched a wall. The air cracked around them.

Octavia watched with a large grin on her face as the cracks in the air appeared before her, she could see the fear of the marines standing opposite them as the crushing air launched them into the air. She could see the air cutting into their flesh as they were ripped forcefully off the Moby Dick.

And then there was silence.

There wasn't a single marine left on the Moby Dick. She could now see with her very own eyes that Whitebeard was without a doubt the strongest man alive. He had barely moved and yet he had taken out every one of those marines. She could see now that she had nothing to worry about a buster call with her father around.

"You can come out now brats." Whitebeard called out not needing to turn around.

"That was-" Ace stepped out onto the deck with wide eyes.

"Incredible." Sabo finished off.

Whitebeard laughed loudly, all traces of his anger had disappeared as quick as the marines had.

"Want to see more?" he smirked seeing their fast nods. Lifting his arm into the air he aimed for the large marine warship that was floating next to them.

Octavia pressed her hands over her ears as she heard the metal ship seem to break apart like it was made of butter. Without another word Whitebeard turned around and moved back to his thrown like chair.

Octavia stayed sitting on his shoulder until he was sitting down. Slowly she slid off his shoulder and into his awaiting arms. She buried her face into his chest and clutched her hands into his white jacket.

"And three hundred." She whispered earning a loud laugh from the man.

"That's my girl." He pressed his large hand against her back and rubbed smooth circles with his thumb. Finally letting everything crash down on her she felt the tears make their way to her eyes again. She tried to be brave and hold them back but they kept coming.

"Thank you," she choked.

"There is nothing to thank me for, you are my daughter. And there is nothing that will stop me from protecting you." He whispered to her and she nodded not able to form words just yet.

"Princess," without lifting her head she held out one of her hands and it was quickly covered. She opened her eyes and turned slightly to see Thatch crouching down beside her with both his hands wrapped around hers. She could see the water in his eyes threatening to spill over. He was as scared as she was.

"Thank you for your muscles," she hiccupped and earned a smile from her guardian.

"Anytime Little Frog." Relief flooded his mind as he clutched onto her hand. His eyes roamed over her body and couldn't find a single mark on her. They didn't hurt her.

"Papa huh?" turning around quickly she looked down to see her older brothers smiling their famous smiles at her.

"Yes," she answered firmly.

"Didn't want to be like everyone else and call him Pops, you just had to be different." Ace smirked and earned a small slap on the back of the head from Sabo.

"He means, glad you're okay Flick." Sabo moved towards them and climbed up Whitebeards leg and into his lap. "You scared us again. Don't you go making a habit out of this, alright." He whispered joining in on the group hug.

"No promises." She smiled while leaning into his side. She finally felt completely safe again. She was sitting in her father's lap with her older brothers there, and her guardians. She was surrounded by family, a very large, dysfunctional family.

"Papa," she spoke looking up at him; "They broke your windows." She remembered, explaining exactly what happened in his room.

"Low life scum, didn't even have the guts to face us first. They go and sneak around like a bunch of cowards." Thatch spat not liking what he was hearing.

"Pops, I've got a present for you." All heads turned to see Lia dump an unconscious marine on the deck of the ship. Luffy stood next to Lia with a proud smile on his face. He did his job and he protected his person. He had his pipe in one hand and let it rest on his shoulder, in a very Ace like pose.

"He had a copy of Flick's wanted poster on him. I'm guessing they all did." She handed the black paper over to Whitebeard and then turned to Flick. She pressed her hand onto Flick's forehead. "You alright sweetheart?" she whispered to the girl and wiped the stray tears off her face.

Octavia quickly nodded her head but didn't say anything. She felt Lia press a small kiss to her forehead and she did feel a little better.

"Marco, take our guest down to the brig. Find out what happened with Admiral Smoker and what he knows about these posters." Whitebeard commanded.

Marco looked at the unconscious man and then to Flick. He would never call himself a sadistic man, he never took pleasure in torturing or even hurting anyone that wasn't fighting back. But in that moment, seeing Flick being hurled into a wooden crate to be shipped off to the World Government, seeing the fear in her eyes and the pain in her voice as she called out for them to save her. He was actually going to enjoy some of this 'conversation' with this man.

He nodded to Vista who seemed to have the same train of thought as him, as well as everyone else on board the Moby Dick, and grabbed the man from the floor. Vista grabbed his other arm and together they dragged the marine below deck.

"And you four, back to the infirmary." Lia announced and earned a groan from the three boys. They thought they had managed to escape going back to that place.

Thatch held his arms out to Flick and she quickly complied and wrapped her arms around his neck. Turning back to look at his Pops he could tell the man needed a hell of a lot of drinks to get through what had happened today. Never had the marines, or Pirates for that matter had ever gone straight below deck. They always fought their way to go below, never the other way around. Everyone always came for his head, never for someone else's aboard the Moby Dick.

"Gather the commanders after dinner," Whitebeard spoke and that was all that needed to be said. They were going to devise a plan to keep Flick safe. This would never happen again.

"Come on Pumpkin," Thatch whispered down to her before following Lia and the three boys below deck. He wasn't going to be letting her out of his sights for the rest of her life. She was too much of a danger magnet for him to be happy with.

"Thank you," he heard her whisper but he just held her closer. She had nothing to thank anyone for, she was a part of the crew, but most of all she was a part of their family, especially now she was dubbed Whitebeard's daughter. This was definitely going to stir up some drama in the world, hopefully in the good way.

* * *

_**'Some people don't believe in heroes, but they haven't met my father.**_

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**Well that was it :D What did you think?  
**

**Smoker-sama! What happened to him! **

**Did anyone pick up something in there? About Flick... **

**Thanks to my reviews, Savage Kill, Guest [can I have a cookie now], Nala, Phantom Trainer, Sky65, Guest2, Lilnightmare, GoldenMelon, OnePieceDoesExist and Okami :DDDDDD**

**Love you guys :D Throw your questions out if you have them :D**

**Next up: Snow Island and Last goodbye's to the Whitebeard Crew **


	16. Chapter 16 - Change

**Hey there my fellow people! How are you? Good, Great! **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, commented, discussed, remarked etc. Love reading your reactions and thoughts, and love the love :D**

**Please read the bottom note too! Important about my updates. **

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**_'Nothing happens, until the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of change' _  
**

* * *

Marco sat beside his fellow guardians with mixed emotions. The information he had gathered from the coward of a marine, was both a mixture of good, and bad news. Although he didn't have to work very hard to gather the intel, as soon as the man, now known as Lieutenant Commander Hostna, opened his eyes and took in his surroundings, he spilled everything. Marco didn't even have to ask too many questions, the man just ranted about anything and everything, he actually found out more things he wasn't even concerned about.

He had to admit though that he was a little upset, he had wanted to at least beat the living daylights out of the man, but he was a coward. A scared, frightened, pathetic coward of a man that turned ad gave up precious information without even a punch.

He did hold a small smile knowing that Pops would throw the man off the ship with such a way, he probably wouldn't walk for a few months.

"Marco, what did you find out about Smoker?" Whitebeard asked as soon as Thatch arrived and sat down beside him. He took one look at his brother and knew that things weren't great in the brat's room. He knew Thatch was taking it the hardest to leave them alone, even for a few minutes at a time, they all were taking this hard.

"The one who had seen Flick, back at Mundal Island, had apparently been locked in the brig by Smoker. He was very vague on what happened, but it would seem he managed to entice the rest of the crew with the infinite reward to capture Flick. Smoker was sent back to headquarters where he was reassigned to the East Blue with some bullshit discharge reason; he's named as a captain now." Marco sighed. He didn't trust the man when he claimed not to be a threat towards Flick and them. But now, there was proof, he risked his entire career to protect Flick. He was now demoted back to the slums of marine hierarchy.

Looking beneath all of this, it shows how desperate the World Government is. If Smoker was anybody else, they would have been executed for treason. But then the World Government would need to explain why the harsh punishment, so instead they demean the man. Make his punishment seem like a lack on his skills, or ability to lead.

For any Admiral, death would have been welcomed with open arms instead of a demotion to the slums.

"Smoker the White Hunter is an honourable man. He will be respected by every member of the Whitebeard Pirates." Whitebeard announced and it was then decided that he, along with whatever team he had, would never be fatally harmed by them. They would defend themselves to the point of escaping, but they would never give that final blow. They were now officially on the Whitebeard's respect list, and that list was extremely small.

"Okay, I can't take it any longer. Can we please talk about that little burst of Haki Flick gave off, anyone else pick that up?" Thatch couldn't hold back the comment any longer. He had to know if he was the only one that noticed or felt that force.

"Now that was something else," Namur added. "Especially given her age, are we sure we don't know her heritage?"

"No, I've asked about her mother a few time, but she shuts down pretty quickly. She never knew her father." Thatch explained. Her family and her time before the slavers was a sensitive topic. And now knowing that the death of her mother was on the same day as the reaping of her home, he knew why it was a forbidden topic.

He remembered asking a couple of times but after seeing her tiny arms wrap around her centre and groan to herself he promised himself that he would never ask her about her past, not until she brought it up.

"God help us if she is a D," Izo added knowing that the odds were probably high. Now they would have three D's on board, and Sabo definitely showed some signs of his family line, and even if it wasn't in his blood, it was in his brothers and that seemed to seep into his own will of life well enough. The amount the four of them could eat, outweighed the combination of all the commanders put together.

As well as their energy, their will to live and to never give up.

"I have a feeling in a few weeks' time we will understand more about Octavia's past." Whitebeard spoke with a small smile on his face. He reached for his second bottle of sake and downed it pretty quickly.

"What are you thinking Pops?" Thatch asked suspiciously.

"That hair of hers, and now that level of Haki. If I have learned one thing in my life, is that there are no such things as coincidences." Whitebeard chuckled at the expressions of his commanders.

"You think Shanks is her father?" Thatch gasped now finally putting two and two together. He felt almost embarrassed that he never thought of that, the hair was enough of a giveaway. Hell Shanks was called Red Haired Shanks, how did this never come up in conversation.

"Only time will tell my son," he laughed.

"I need a drink." Thatch mumbled looking to the table in front of him.

"Do we train her with Haki?" Marco asked.

"No, not yet. Her body is still not ready to undergo that intense training. I believe that this is the first time she may have ever unlocked that side of her. Let it manifest on its own until she is ready." He nodded liking Pops' answer. She was still too young to be forced into that kind of work, she still had too much time to be a kid again and they were damned sure they were going to let her enjoy it.

She was now starting to look like a real child again. Her hair was long and thick and rich with colour, her ribs no longer poked through her skin, her scars were faded to a bare silver line. She was getting better. They all were.

The small dark thought in the back of his mind went to her time in captivity. From what they had managed to uncover, she was blindfolded most of the time she was there. Blindfold training was one of the first levels to unlock the use of observation haki. As much as it pained him to think it, all those years of only using her other senses to guide her, would give her an immense boost on her haki.

He dreaded to think of the future when the thought of blindfold training came up again. He would have to discuss with his brothers and alternate way for her. They were never going to put her through that kind of torture again.

"What do we do about the marines?" Vista voiced the next issue.

"I believe the world has a right to know about Whitebeard's new daughter don't you?" Marco added with a smirk. A plan already forming in his mind. She was not just some girl on a wanted poster. She was going to be the most feared girl in the world, for if you mess with her, you mess with her father.

The World Government know exactly where she is now, and they know exactly who is protecting her. Why not spoil their plans and show the world where she belongs and who they will need to defeat in order to touch her.

"Octavia, the Whitebeard Princess." Thatch laughed holding his hands in the air like a sign. "Not a single person living or dead would dare touch her." he smirked. "It would definitely lower the amount of worthless bounty hunters off her case, only the real threats would be left. And even then that number is in the single digits."

"What about the other brats?" Izo question knowing that if the girl was getting a title, than the other three would be right behind her causing all kinds of trouble just to be noticed.

"No, they will be kept hidden until they cannot any longer." Whitebeard spoke. He knew that if those names were to be spread in the world news than it could be even more trouble than its worth.

"We will wait to see that red haired brat before we release anything. For now she will not be left alone without a guardian's presence." Thatch nodded already knowing that she wasn't going to more than a foot away from him at any time. He locked eyes with his fellow guardians and each of them nodded. Those four weren't going to be going anywhere without them.

* * *

White.

That was all she could see as they approached the next island. Her eyes were wide and she could hardly contain the small giggle that burst through her lips. She was actually going to be allowed to touch it, to feel it in her hands, and she couldn't be more excited.

She had longed for this day.

As Sabo had told her, it was an item on her bucket list, a list of things she wanted to complete before she died. She had never thought about things she wanted to achieve or to do, for so long she had given up all hope on ever escaping her tormentors. But now she was free, she could make a list and she could start crossing them off one at a time.

First up, touching snow.

Izo had dressed her in so many layers that to begin with she found it very hard to move. But now as they drew closer to the island, she was thankful for the extra layers that protected her from the cold winds. But secretly, she wanted to know what it felt like against her skin.

"We should build a snowman first," Luffy shouted standing on top of the figurehead and pointed towards the coastline; "No wait, we should have a snow ball fight," he grinned his famous smile and looked over at her. He was way too excited to be visiting the snowy island. He was even more excited knowing that it was his sisters first time being in the snow. He wanted to show her everything there was to do in the snow, and to teach her which snow you could eat and which snow you shouldn't eat. He learned that the hard way.

He wanted to be the best brother ever. After everything they had been through he knew that he didn't really know how to be a very good brother. But now he was going to be different. He was going to teach her things, tell her stories and even share his food with her. He was going to do everything she did for him, and give it back to her in the same way. He never wanted her to leave them again, no matter how many times she tells him it wasn't because of him or their brothers, he knew that somewhere deep down he wasn't a very good brother.

But that was going to change.

"Settle down brat, we will get to everything." Marco appeared next to the bunch and tried hard to contain his smile. After the last few months, he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw the kid's happy faces. After everything they had been through he wanted to give them anything that resembled normalcy, and a trip to the snow was exactly what they needed, what they all needed.

He just hoped that it was a peaceful trip and didn't end up with them running away from marines or other pirates. He wanted calm. But looking at the four danger magnets sitting across from him, he knew somehow it wasn't going to be an easy going trip.

He glanced over to his Pops who was sitting on his large chair. Marco was worried for his Pops, since the attack on their ship, he had stationed as many men as possible on watch, and not just at night, there were men stationed at all hours of the day. And he had never seen the man refuse a bottle of sake, so he knew that there was something eating at his Pops when he refused it.

Even his nurses were worried about the rapid change. Although they were glad for the lack of alcohol in his system, they still worried. They all did.

He knew that his Pops was worried for the quadrant of brats on his ship, and he felt immense guilt after the last attack. But there was no one to blame. Everyone on board thought it safe for anyone to be below deck when an attack came.

He guessed that the marines like that were desperate, and that made them dangerous cowards. None of them would be making that same mistake again.

The rest of the guardians have being coming up with a whole new training plan for the kids. They will never be put in a situation that they were not adapted to handle. After hearing that the three boys had managed to take a whole quadrant of marines on their own, frightened them all to know end.

Even though they had come out with only a few bumps and bruises, they were never going to risk that again. They would be trained and ready to defend and protect each other at any moment. But on that same track, they were not going to be giving up the small resemblance of childhood they had just managed to give the brats. And this snow trip was a perfect way to break up their training and have a little fun.

Training, disguised with fun. That was the path Marco was trying to achieve.

"Can we go yet?" he broke out of his thoughts and saw the four brats pleading up at him with all their hoods already over their faces. Glancing over his shoulder at his Pops he got the clear signal and he nodded his head.

"Yay," Luffy shouted and was quick to grab his sister's hand and race towards the ramp. He rolled his eyes along with the two boys who were left behind to follow after the two youngest as they raced down towards the snowy floor. Their giggles were addictive.

Octavia paused as soon as she landed on the somewhat soft but hard surface. She knelt down on the ground and put her gloved hands on the white smooth surface. She could feel exactly how cold it would have been as the slight dampness was felt through the thick layer of her gloves. She could just imagine what it would be like against her bare skin. A small shiver ran up her spine as she tore off one of her gloves and shoved her hand into the snow.

"Flick," she giggled and turned to look at Thatch who was staring at her with a disapproving smile. He had told her that snow was cold over and over again. But she had to see for herself.

"It's cold." She laughed and let her fingers dig deeps into the surface. She gathered the white wonder in her hand and lifted it to her eye level. She was amazed, it was like cotton candy yet, cold.

"Don't eat that!" Luffy bounded towards her and placed his hands over the snow; "You have to dig down, you never know what has used that as its toilet." He scolded her. She laughed and dropped the snow from her hand.

"You will have to show me Lu," she pulled her glove back on her hand and she followed as the boy ran off towards the open field of snow.

She played with Luffy for hours as he showed her what to do and how to build a snow man, and she couldn't have been happier. She was about to fall on her back to copy him with making a snow angel when she felt it come towards her. Her eyes widened as her shield ripped around her.

Spinning around she threw her shield forwards and deflected the incoming attack and crouched down protectively in front of her unsuspecting brother, who was still giggled and wiggling his arms and legs back and forth. She growled seeing the white attack smother her shield and then fall to the ground in a heap. Her heart was racing at the thought of being attacked and then she saw them.

"Ace!" she growled seeing his smug face at the edge of the clearing. His hands were tossing around another snow ball ready to fire. He was going to die.

"Told you she would sense it," Sabo appeared next to him smiling.

"You knew and didn't stop him?" she questioned and saw his face fall.

"I knew you would stop it though," he responded trying to justify himself.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She growled. Looking down at Luffy who was still flapping his arms and legs up and down trying to create the perfect snow angel.

"Time for war, Lu." She spoke to him and his eyes were instantly onto hers. Jumping up he finally saw that he was inside of her shield and his brothers were outside, and they were already preparing for the upcoming battle by picking at the snow.

"This is going to be fun," he laughed and bent down and stretched his arms out wide and gathered the top layer of snow from all directions in his arms. By the time he retracted his arms there was a mountain of snow in front of them, just waiting to be moulded.

The look of her two older brother's faces was way too funny. They never imagined that their youngest brother would be able to gather so much snow in a fraction of a second. While it took them a good few minutes to gather the top layer of soft snow that was easy enough to mould.

She grinned bending down next to her younger brother and started forming snowballs whilst they were still under the protection of her shield. When they had gathered a few dozen she looked around the clearing for a safe place to attack from. Disappearing Luffy and herself with the mountain of ammo they had created she landed behind a fallen tree.

"Ready big brothers?" she laughed seeing them running around like mad men trying to find the perfect spot.

Whitebeard looked over his four youngest brats with a smile on his face. They had become some of the most precious things aboard his ship and not only in his eyes. The rest of the crew had fallen for these brats and each of them felt immense guilt after the last attack.

But seeing them here, playing in the snow with not a care in the world gave him the small peace of mind that he had been waiting for.

"Pineapple head come help!" he looked over to see his four commanders taking the invitation very seriously and joined in with the brats and their snow war. He watched as the tables turned pretty quickly and it soon became a war between brats and commanders.

"Amazing isn't it," he glanced down at his head nurse beside him. "You would never believe that four children could make the strongest commanders in the Whitebeard Crew smile like that."

Lia sat next to her Pops and held out a bottle of sake. She knew that it wasn't good for his health to be drinking this stuff, but he had been dry for so many days now, even she was starting to get worried about him.

"That it is my dear." Whitebeard laughed and happily took a drink from the ceramic bottle.

* * *

"…and then the monster jumped out and sliced at his throat!" Thatch stood over the roaring fire as the she stared at him with no emotion. The sun had set earlier than she expected at this island, which was apparently normal, they had eaten their dinner and now they were all sitting around a large fire eating sticky sugar treats that they roasted on the fire. She had never eaten one of them before, but as soon as she tasted the sweet flavour she ran back for more.

"That was your scary story?" Ace mocked not even finding it remotely frightening.

"Well you tell a scary story then," Thatch grumbled sitting back down on the large log that circled their fire.

"No, Ace tells scary stories." Luffy mumbled and shuffled closer to her. She quickly wrapped her arm around him and that was all the invitation he needed to climb into her lap with his hands still filled with the sugary treats.

"I'll keep you safe," she whispered into his hair and pulled him closer.

"Here," he smiled and lifted one of the treats in his hand to her. She laughed and bit it out of his fingers.

"No scary stories." Marco appeared and slapped Thatch on the back of the head. "It will only bring on nightmares." He glared at his brother and sat down next to Ace.

"They're fine, they won't get nightmares." Thatch laughed.

"I wasn't talking about them." Marco smirked waiting for his brother to catch onto his little insult. And they all waiting until Thatch burst to his feet and pointed at him.

"Pineapple head, how long till we see Shanks?" Luffy interrupted Thatch's ranting and there was a silence over their small campsite.

"In two weeks, we will reach the waters around Tanner Island. It is one of Pops islands." Marco explained. He let his eyes wonder over to the girl in the group, her eyes drifted to the ground and he could see her fingers keeping busy with the hem of Luffy's jacket. He would make sure to watch over her for the next few days. He didn't want to see her retreat back into her old self, he wanted to see her smile like today; he wanted her to smile like that for the rest of her life.

Octavia kept quiet for the remainder of their time around the camp fire. Luffy was quick to leave her lap when the mention of more food was brought up so now she was alone with her thoughts. Two weeks. That all she had left before they would be meeting Luffy's hero.

She didn't know what to feel about it. At first when she heard about a friend coming for them she was happy with the thought. Someone who was known to be honourable and good, a friend. But now she saw the Whitebeard crew as her family. They had saved her in more ways than she could have ever hoped for, they healed her, fed her, clothed her, trained her. They were her family now. She was a part of them and they were a part of her.

But then, so were her brothers.

She had three brothers now, and they meant more to her than anything in this world. She vowed to protect them as they did for her. She would follow them to the ends of the world if that's where they wanted to go, and she would do it with a smile on her face. But the thought of leaving the family she had found here was heartbreaking.

"Flick?" she looked up and saw several worried faces looking at her. She smiled at Sabo who was the one to kneel down in front of her. "You alright?" he asked.

"Fine," she grabbed his hand as he held it out to her. Standing up she noticed the rest of the crew where starting to put out the small fires and were heading back to the ship for the night. Some of the crew were staying in the town and were preparing for a night of drinking and partying, but for them, it was back to the ship and to bed.

The next day was full of adventure.

That's what Luffy was hoping for when he woke up with the sun. He was sitting on the figurehead watching as the colours of the sun danced along the surface of the snow and the trees. He wanted to so badly go on an adventure through the snow covered island. He wanted to see what was hidden behind the trees and over the mountains. But he knew he wasn't allowed too.

He knew that he wouldn't be allowed to go without his brothers. They would yell at him non-stop if he ran off on his own. But that didn't stop him from sulking. He wanted to run free in the snow.

Looking back over his shoulder he could see several of the crew all waking up and starting to get the ship ready for their departure later that afternoon. He knew that leaving only meant getting closer to Shanks and his crew, but that didn't stop him from wanting his own stories to tell.

Grinning he slowly slid forwards on the massive figurehead and let his feet stretch out over the railing and towards the wooden pier below the ship.

"One more inch and you're in trouble."

Snapping his feet back he looked up at a frowning commander. Grinning as wide as he could he pulled himself back to his normal sitting position and started to whistle. He technically didn't leave the ship so he couldn't get into trouble. He hoped.

"Good morning Pineapple head." Luffy beamed, but Marco's angry face was still there.

"Did you learn nothing from our last training session?" Marco sighed sitting next to the anxious boy. He wasn't an idiot. He could see how much the youngest wanted to run off and enjoy being a kid. But he knew of the dangers. He knew what was out there just waiting to grab the young devil fruit user.

"Sorry," Luffy mumbled looking away from the commander and back towards the island. Marco would have to be an idiot to not know that there was something bothering the youngest. Sighing he took a seat next to the boy and tried to see through Luffy's eyes.

"Marco," Luffy mumbled instantly getting his attention. There were very few times that Luffy would ever use his real name.

"Things are going to change aren't they." He whispered still not looking up at him.

"Yes, I suppose they will."

Luffy watched as the snow covered trees blew in the wind and rained snow onto the ground below. Things were always changing for him. He never stayed in the same place for very long, or even with the same people for that matter. Whenever he started to feel happy, things would change and he would have to start all over again. At least this change he would still be with his brothers and now they had Flick.

And there wasn't any pain this time.

"Want to go for a walk?" Luffy looked up at the commander with wide eyes. "Just you and me," Marco stood up and held out his hand. Without a second of hesitation he grabbed his hand and a smile was plastered on his face.

"We can go on an adventure." Luffy laughed as they jumped off the side of the ship and down onto the wooden pier below.

"Sure thing kid," Marco felt a tug on his hand and he was instantly running behind Luffy to try and keep up with his boy.

Luffy was happy as he walked alone with his guardian. They had moved so far around the island that he could no longer see the ship from where they were. He was a little sad that he didn't get to explore with his brothers like he usually would, but being with Marco was just as good.

"Stop," Marco whispered and knelt down next to him. "Do you see that?" he pointed into the distance and through the forest trees.

Luffy had to squint to try and see what he was pointing at, and then he gasped. There standing at the top of the hill was a huge white leopard staring back at them with its large red eyes.

It was stalking them.

Hunting them.

It seemed like forever since Luffy felt this level of excitement rush through his blood. It had been forever since he had seen an animal this big. And he wanted to fight it.

"He's really big." Luffy whispered knowing that if he spoke too loudly it would attack. Sabo had whacked him on the back of the head so many times back in their jungle that he finally understood why yelling in a forest was not a good idea.

"He is a she, look at her feet."

He squinted further and that was when he noticed small white bits of snow running around the larger cat. But it wasn't snow, they were babies. It was a mother.

Standing up straight Luffy crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's alright then." He ignored the guardian and kept walking in the direction that they were heading before.

"That's alright then?" Marco questioned to the strange boy.

"Yep, she's a mother." Luffy spoke as if it explained everything. Stopping further along the way he turned back to the hill and waved his arms towards the cat.

"Bye Misses Leopard. Take care." He beamed as the mother tilted its head and slowly nudged its babies away from them and the loud noise.

"Never change Luffy," Marco sighed and placed his hand on the boys shoulder.

"Why would I change?" he questioned causing Marco to laugh. He really didn't want the boy to ever change.

* * *

Ace sat in the galley with a hot cup of hot chocolate in his hands. But all he did was stare at the brown liquid until the steam had long disappeared. He didn't sleep very well that night and all his thoughts led to the next few days. All night he would glance over at his siblings and tried to envision where they would be a month from now, or even a year from now.

And that scared him the most. He didn't know.

He didn't know the crew that they were going to be handed off too, he didn't know their strengths and their weaknesses. He didn't know where the four of them were going to fit into this new place.

Here on the Moby Dick, he knew where they stood, he knew what he could and couldn't do, and he knew which boundaries he could push without getting into trouble. He never wanted to admit it out loud but he liked it here.

He liked waking up to seeing a fresh tray of baked goods in their table with his sister smiling widely at them.

He liked seeing his youngest brother running around causing all kinds of trouble with the crew and with the captain. He liked see his carefree attitude and addictive smile.

He liked seeing Sabo finding his place with Namur and the others. He liked that he wrote in his journal every day and countered everything that they had seen and done. Their life was one great big adventure, and for the first time he wasn't afraid of what was around the corner.

The Whitebeard pirates had proved enough to him that they were allies, that they were something more than that. They actually cared about him and his siblings, they wanted to protect them like he did. They were his family.

The word was caught in the back of his throat like a piece of bile that would make him sick. But it was the truth, they were his family. And he would protect them as much as he would protect his siblings. And that scared him.

"Smile kid, you're too young for wrinkles." Izo slid into the seat opposite him and ruffled his hair. His hat lay on the table staring at him.

"Where are your brother's?" Izo asked looking around for the two that usually clung to the older boy.

"Luffy's with Marco and Sabo's with Namur." He mumbled still looking down at the cold cup in his hands.

"What's on your mind kid?" Izo softened his voice and tried to gain his attention.

"Nothing," Ace pushed his cup away along with his thoughts and stood up. He didn't want to talk to anyone about what he was thinking. He didn't want to admit to anyone that he desperately wanted to stay here and not be moved to yet another unfamiliar place.

"Ace," he stopped in the middle of the galley but didn't turn back to face the sharp shooter.

"Wherever you four go, the instant you need us, we will come back for you." His breath caught in his throat and he felt his hands shake by his side.

"You will always be a Whitebeard, never forget that you belong here."

Ace nodded his head quickly before exiting the galley. He kept his head down and his hand covered his eyes from everyone sights. He didn't want anyone to see him. He wanted to be alone.

The thought that they would drop everything and come back for them, it made him feel better. Even just a little.

* * *

"You're quiet today brat," Namur spoke causing Sabo to lift his eyes off the page he had started reading over an hour ago.

"Sorry," he mumbled and tried to pick up the spot he last left. But he didn't know what he was even reading about. He couldn't even remember what book he had picked up this morning. Closing the book he looked at the cover, Advanced Navigation. It was not the type of book you could lose concentration in and expect to pick up at any stage.

"What's eating you?" Namur slid into the seat next to him and took the book from his hands. He hadn't spent as much time as he wanted to with the brat, but he knew when something was wrong. And today, any one could see that there was definitely something plaguing the boys mind.

"What do you know of Captain Shanks?" Sabo asked looking up at his guardian.

"Well, he's like Pops. Strong as he is loyal to his crew. Haven't met the man too many times and never on a battle field. But he's a good guy." Namur knew exactly what the boy was thinking. Hell he had been thinking the same things over and over for the last week.

Thatch, Marco, Izo and himself would spend the late nights once the brats were all off to sleep sitting in the dark with a bottle of sake in each hand. None of them has explicitly said the words, but they each knew what the other was thinking. They didn't want the four of them to leave. They didn't want them to be on the other side of the world with no defence. They were the ones who took them in, they were the ones who healed them and fed them. They were the ones who helped put the smiles back on their faces.

Well, his brothers were, something that he would constantly regret. His brothers were the first ones to gain their trusts, whilst he watched from the sidelines. But now things were different. He didn't want the young blonde boy to disappear. He wanted to teach him everything he knew, he wanted to see him rise and grow into the young man he knew he would be. He wanted to watch the proclaimed Whitebeard Wolfpack take on the world, he wanted to see them rise above everything that stopped them and defeat anything and everything.

But in a few days, it would be just like before. He would be watching them from the shadows of others. He would watch as other taught them the important things in life. Something that they had gained the right to do. Someone would take over.

They would lose them.

"What are you thinking?" Namur whispered in the silence of the room.

"I'm going to miss it here." Sabo spoke honestly. Something that Namur knew they had shared together. The bond that they had quickly formed was something unlike anything he had imagined. Sabo opened up to him, spoke whatever was on his mind and he would never judge. No matter if his thoughts were kind or not, he would wait and let the boy speak until he came to his own conclusion. It was something that they shared. There was no judgement between them.

Something that they both knew was hard to find. People were too judgemental. They would take offence to the thoughts of another, and those thoughts could cause wars.

"I'm scared." Sabo whispered looking up at his guardian.

"Of what?" Namur felt his body tense at the sound of his voice. He didn't like hearing those words. His charge was not meant to be scared, it was his job to make sure that they were never scared. That they were happy. That they were safe and protected.

"Change," Sabo whispered looking out the window and into the vast open ocean.

The two of them sat there and stared out the window as the sun began to set. Neither of them saying anything, they both knew what Sabo has said was the truth. Change was coming, and there wasn't anything that could do about it.

He wanted to tell the boy they he could stay. That he didn't have to go, but he knew those words wouldn't make a difference. The four of them were a packaged deal. If one went, they all went.

Each of the guardians stared at the brats before them with sadness creeping into their hearts. They didn't want them to go. They didn't want to let go of their small protégée's they were creating.

* * *

_**There are things we don't want to happen, but have to accept. Things we don't want to know, but have to Learn. And people we can't live without but have to let go.** _

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**To start with what did you think? I little small side part - seeing into everyone's minds. **

**Update notice: In 3 weeks time I will be in Europe for 7 weeks! Wooh holidays. So I'm trying to pre write at least 3 of these chapters before I go and just submit them every 2 weeks - lets hope - It is def not a stop to the story - Just me on Holidays. **

**As long awaited... and I think I may have fibbed to a few of you. But rest assured SHANKS WILL BE HERE NEXT CHAPTER! **

**SHANKS IS COMING ~ SHANKS IS COMING ~ SHANKS IS COMING.**

**Let me know what you think :D One reviewer asked a first for a question, Who is Octavia's mother? Care to take a guess?**

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**Thanks to Lilnightmare, bibliophile, Guest ;), Nala, Fairy of Friz, The Magic Kaitou Kid, Golden Melon, One Piece does exist, Amy, ReaganBrie and Okami**

**Loving you all. xx**


	17. Chapter 17 - Arrival of the Past

**Hello my lovely people! **

**MY gosh all I can say is wow - never had so many epic reviews in such a short time really that was incredible! **

**As promised to those who reviewed - here is the promised chapter. **

**I really did want to name it SHANKS IS HERE... but then through - probably shouldn't hahaha. So I stuck with my styled chapter. **

**As promised - 1 Secret is revealed today. **

**Enjoy! xx**

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_**'All is a riddle, and the key to the riddle - is another riddle'**_

* * *

Luffy couldn't sleep.

Tomorrow, at midday, they were going to make their last stop, they were going to finally see Shanks.

He couldn't keep the smile of his face or his hands off his precious straw hat. He couldn't wait to see him again, he just wanted him to be here now. He looked over at this brothers and sister and felt his smile widen, they were all going to be together. His family was finally going to be able to meet his hero, the man that saved his life. The greatest man ever.

As soon as the sun peeked through their window he flung his covers off his bed and bounded over to Ace. It was time.

"Wake up, Shanks is coming." He yelled into his brother's ear who quickly pushed him off the edge of the bed and onto the floor below. He laughed and ran to Sabo.

"Sabo, wake up, Shanks is coming." He laughed and tried to pull down Sabo's blanket that was covering his face.

Sabo groaned and was quick to follow his older brother's actions and shoved the loud boy off his bed and buried his face back into his pillow. "Too early Luffy. Go back to bed."

"Flick, Shanks is coming." He jumped over to the last bed, except this time he wasn't shoved away but pulled closer. He was quickly pulled under her covers and into her warm arms. He giggled as the blanket was thrown over their heads and he was buried in her warmth and the darkness of their fortress.

"Morning Flick," he was so happy that he had a sister, he loved his brothers more than anything in the world, but his sister was nice to him all the time and she baked things for him and never pushed him away.

Having a sister was nice.

"Sleep time," she hushed and he giggled not able to close his eyes for another second.

"But Shanks," he whined burying his face into his sisters long red hair. He loved how soft it was, and how warm it kept him when he snuggled with her. It was like her very own scarf that he loved to steal. He didn't like it too much when Izo braided it, it made it harder for him to use it.

"He'll be here later, just close your eyes." She whispered and he sighed. He wanted to be awake, he wanted to sit on his favourite spot and look out for that tiny black spec on the horizon and wait as it becomes bigger and bigger. He wanted to see their flag as it grew closer and closer to them, he wanted to be the first thing Shanks and his crew saw when they arrived.

"You're thinking too loud." His sister placed her hand over his face and forced his eyes closed.

He remembered the sound of Shanks voice and the loud parties that they threw. He remembered the way he would grin at him and pat him on the head. He really missed him. He missed his stories and the way he would tuck him into bed and blow out the candle before leaving, he missed the way he would always order him a juice whenever he got a round for his crew. He missed the way he was treated by Shanks.

Him and Makino. If only she was here too, then everything would be perfect in his world. They were the first people in the entire world who cared about him. Who actually listened to him and was nice to him. Everyone else shunned him, turned him away or looked down at him.

Everyone else, until he met his brothers, and now his new sister.

And now he had the Whitebeard Crew and Pops.

He found more family.

Opening his eyes, he looked over his sister's face. He knew that without her they would probably be dead by now, or worse. She was the one who saved them all, without her; he didn't even want to think about where they would be, or if they would even be together. Ace and Sabo may be the strongest out of the four of them, but his sister was a different kind of strong. She was different to them. And he loved her.

He looked over at her tired eyes that seemed to grow heavier as these last few days past. He knew she was scared of meeting another crew, another powerful crew of men. He had overheard her speaking to Thatch one night after a particular nightmare. He didn't want to hear her being scared of Shanks or the others. And he knew that Shanks would never hurt her. He trusted him. Shanks would never do what those men before did, he was kind and friendly he would never hurt anyone that didn't deserve it.

But it didn't matter how many times he spoke the truth about his hero, he could see the hesitance in her eyes and doubt there. She still didn't trust strangers.

He understood that though. She had been through a lot more than he had, and even more than what his brothers had to endure. He couldn't blame her. He just wished that he could help her somehow.

He heard a small whimper from his sister and he cuddled in closer to her and waited for her small smile to return as she slept. Not a single night went past that she didn't whimper or cry, and those were the good nights. Still every so often they would all wake up to the sounds of her pleas, or with her shield flushing out to wrap around him. He didn't like those nights. He didn't like being wrapped in her shield whilst he was sleeping. It brought back his own nightmares.

Flick still had nightmare about her time there, and their time together in that place. But then in the morning she would wake up with a smile on her face and a spring in her step, but he knew better. His brothers knew better. She was becoming scared again, the closer they came to the three month deadline; the more she hid.

He wrapped his arm around her stomach and buried his face into her hair and let her scent wash over him. He still had those nightmares too. He didn't like them. He didn't like remembering those times in that cage. He didn't like feeling of her shield when it rushed towards him. Peeking over the tops of the blanket her looked over to his brothers, who were back to sleep, he made sure that they were both where they belonged. In their beds with no cuts or bruises on their skin. They weren't being dragged off to that place while he banged and screamed for them.

No, they were safe.

They were all safe.

He wished he could have been stronger then, he still wishes that he was stronger now. Then maybe he could have stopped what happened to them, maybe then he could have prevented them from being captured in the first place. Instead he stood there frozen on the spot as they were thrown into sea stone cuffs and into wooden crates. He would never get the sounds of his brothers yelling at him to run out of his mind. They were always trying to protect him.

He was too weak and too scared to even run.

He just stood there.

Maybe if he ran, than his brothers wouldn't have been caught trying to protect him.

Maybe they would have all been able to escape.

"You okay?" he opened his eyes and saw his sister staring down at him. Shifting up the bed a little he pressed his forehead against hers and nodded. Today was meant to be a happy day for all of them, but now he was starting to think about what today would also mean.

He would have to remember everything that he had tried so hard to ignore, he would have to retell their stories all over again. There was no way that things could go back to how they were with Shanks and his crew. They would all know the truth about what happened.

That he was so weak.

That he was so scared.

He wasn't strong or brave like a true pirate needed to be.

"Shall we get up?" she whispered and he opened his eyes to stare back into her dark red eyes. He could see the worry that set in them and the fear that started to reappear. He wouldn't let his sister get hurt again. Smiling he leant forwards and replaced his forehead with a kiss against hers, mimicking the thousands of times she would do that to him. It felt nice.

He had often seen mothers kissing their children. But for them, it was family.

"Breakfast?" he asked finally seeing her smile.

"Let's go see if Lyon is up yet," she sat up and dragged him with her. Stretching his arm back, he grabbed his hat that fell to the side of the bed and placed it back on his head.

"I want meat." His sister laughed as him and dragged him from the room. But he knew that if his sister was with him at meal times, there would be vegetables involved.

* * *

Ace stared at his siblings as they sat upon the figurehead and watched the horizon for any signs of Shanks. Luffy would constantly point out something in the distance and then not a minute later he would hear his sigh when it was something completely different, how he thought a bird was a ship he would never know.

"How much longer?" Luffy whined looking up at them.

"Be patient Lu, not too long." Sabo sighed and leant back on his hands and looked up at the sky. Today was a weird day for all of them. None of them seemed to know what to be feeling, everyone except Luffy.

"I'll be back," Octavia pushed off from the whale head when she saw Whitebeard take his place in his thrown like chair. Ace nodded to her, giving her his unneeded permission. No one ever questioned the way she looked to Ace every time, and no one bothered to step in, but it was something that they both needed. She knew that Ace needed to know where she was, she knew that ever since she ran away, that he was even more protective of them, especially her.

And for Ace, he knew that his sister needed his support. No matter what she did, he could still see her questioning eyes that lingered when she did something for herself. For that minute fraction of a second he could see the way she waited for her punishment. That fear that had slowly started to slip back into her waking life, and he didn't like it. But he would help her, if it was a simple nod or a smile that gave her the confidence to do what she wanted to, or say what she wanted to, without the thought of getting punished he would do it.

He watched her disappear from her spot next to him and head towards the captain of the ship. Whitebeard was one of the very few people alive in this world who she trusted, and it was one of the even fewer people that he trusted. He knew that man would never lay a hand on his sister or his brothers. Whitebeard, and their guardians were there to stay. They were a part of their lives now, no matter where they went.

She was nervous. Her hands couldn't sit still, she had them moving from the edges of her clothes, to her hands and to her brothers. Disappearing from her spot she appeared on her second favourite spot, or person, and landed on her father's shoulder.

"How are you faring my child?" Whitebeard spoke and she slide down his chest and into his lap.

"Fine," she smiled up at him, but she didn't get her father's usual smile back in return. Instead she got his concerned face and a raised eyebrow. He knew she was lying, he was too damn smart for her to even think about lying to him.

"Octavia," he warned and lifted her chin to look up at him.

"I'm fine Papa, a little anxious that's all." She whispered the truth and she felt his arms wrap around her tightly.

"Everything will be alright, no decisions need to be made right at this moment." She nodded into his jacket and clutched to it tighter. She knew what he was referring, and she had stopped thinking about it. She didn't want to think about what was going to happen after today.

"You will always be my daughter, remember that." He whispered as he stroked her long hair.

"And you my Papa," she smiled back up at him. The word's she spoke were the truth. Whitebeard would always play her father in her life. He would be there for her, like he was now. He was her constant. And no matter how much land, sea or time was put between them she would always think of him as her father.

Just like she thought of Thatch as her prized guardian, Lyon as her chef mentor and Marco, Izo and Namur as her beloved protectors. They were her precious people, and they could never be replaced or forgotten.

"Morning princess." She looked up and noticed her favourite sharpshooter standing next to them.

"Morning Izo." She beamed up at the man and quickly turned to let her back face him. She heard a small laugh come from the sharpshooter before she started to feel his familiar hands working through her hair and braid it down the centre of her back. She loved it when Izo played with her hair, or put it up in different ways. It always made her feel special.

"There you go," he pressed a kiss on the top of her head and she felt her cheeks redden.

"Thanks Izo." She turned back into her father's arm as the others began to gather around on the deck. She watched as Luffy bounced on his feet when he noticed the black spot in the distance. This one definitely resembled a ship. She could see the large sails as they caught the wind and directed straight for them.

It was time.

"Flick!" she lifted her eyes to her brothers and saw Luffy calling for her. "Come on, you're going to miss it." He called but she shook her head. She didn't want to be on the front lines of meeting this man. She wanted to stay back and make her own judgement, without them seeing her.

"Flick," Luffy spoke softly seeing his sisters fear. He looked back at his brothers and he could see how they both saw that hollow look in her eyes. It was a look they thought they had gotten rid of weeks ago. They didn't ever want to see their sisters eyes darken with worry and fear. They didn't like seeing her so on guard in a place she called home.

She looked caged.

"She's fine Lu, she will meet him when she's ready." Sabo placed a hand on his youngest brother's shoulder and turned him back to their incoming guests. He glanced back at his sister and gave her a small nod. They would not push her.

The noise of the crew grew louder as the ship came closer and closer towards them. She could hear their crew aboard their ship as they barked out orders and commands to slow down as they approached the Moby Dick.

Luffy screamed and waved his arms back and forth as they came into view and she could hear the crews responses when they saw him. She didn't need to see the other crew, she heard it in their voices, and they were just as excited to see Luffy as he was to see them.

"Princess," Thatch moved to her side and held out his arms. She looked up at her father and he nodded, she knew that he would need to face this man with full force. He could not show weakness, and holding onto a young girl could present as a problem, or a target, not that anyone wanted to mention that. She appeared into Thatch's arms and he stepped back behind Whitebeard and stood next to Marco who was quick to take his place as second in command.

Thatch looked down at the girl in his arms, he didn't want to think about his life without her. Not seeing her grow up, not seeing her smile and hearing her laugh. He didn't want any of the brats to leave, they were a part of their family now. They belonged with them. They wormed their ways into each and every member of their family's hearts, they were a part of the Whitebeard crew no matter who said otherwise. And they would always be there for them, he didn't care if he had to travel across the whole world, he would be there for that little girl and her brothers.

"Thatch," she whispered as she wriggled in his arms. Taking the command he lowered her to the ground as she stood on her own feet. He tried not to frown at the loss of contact but her hand shot out and grabbed hold of his the second he let go.

Luffy ran across the deck and jumped onto the railing. He could see the crew now, recognising some of the old faces as they stood in a line along the edge of their own ship. A large smile was on his face when his eyes locked onto the Captain.

"Shanks!" he waved his arms and caught the Captains smile.

"Anchor!" he waved back with his one arm.

He watched as the two ships drifted closer towards each other before they stopped just feet apart.

"Permission to come aboard?" Shanks yelled out across the decks.

"Yes!" Luffy yelled out earning a laugh from both the crews.

"You better have brought a drink, brat." Whitebeards loud voice signalled his own permission and Shanks laughed. His crew lowered a large wooden plank that rested between to the two ships and he walked across with his head high.

"Only the best," Shanks spoke as his crew followed, while carrying large barrels on their shoulders.

"Shanks!" As soon as his foot touched the Moby Dick, Luffy bounded towards the red haired man and threw his arms around him.

Burying his face into his bare chest Luffy laughed and huddled closer, feeling his hero's arm wrap around him holding him there. He remembered the scent that washed over him, he smelt like his old home. All they needed was Makino to be here and he would be the happiest kid in the entire world.

"Missed you Luffy," Shanks whispered to him only.

"Missed you more," Luffy whispered back and felt the laughter rumble through the man's chest.

Octavia pushed herself to hide further behind her guardian. Her eyes locked onto the man as soon as he stepped aboard their ship. She had heard Luffy's tails of how the man had lost his arm but to see the evidence there right in front of her was something else. Was he really everything that Luffy had talked about?

Her heart froze and her stomach caught in her throat as her eyes locked onto the man's.

"Princess," Thatch's voice whispered but she retreated further behind him and looked over the man in detail.

She noticed the scar that ran down his eye and half his face.

_'All real men have scars Little Red, it shows how manly and brave you are….'_

She noticed the dark red of his hair as his hand ran through it,

_'She has your hair! How come she's got your hair!'_

She noticed the famous D smile on his face,

_'Come on Little Red, let's go cause all kinds of trouble…'_

_'I will always be there for you Little Red,'_

_'I'll love you forever,'_

She watched his every move, his every gesture. It was all so familiar to her and it scared her to no end. She wanted to run. She wanted to get away from this place and that man.

"Shanks," Luffy felt the man sit down as he fell into his lap still not letting his grip of his jacket go. Looking up he felt all his emotions come rushing to the surface. Clutching at his beloved hat he pulled the rim down to shadow his eyes. He knew what was going to happen now. He knew that he would have to tell everyone what happened. He knew he would have to admit what happened.

"It's alright Luffy, we don't have to talk about it right now." He felt his chin being lifted and his eyes blurred as he looked into his. "Let's just celebrate for today." He grinned and wiped the stray tears that ran down his face.

"Okay," Luffy's famous smile returned and he sat with his back towards his captain and he looked out at his two favourite crews mixing. Looking around he found his brothers still in their same spots looking over at him with smiles on their faces. Well Sabo smiled.

"Ace, Sabo!" Luffy screamed and called them over.

"These are your famous brothers huh," Shanks whispered into his ear.

"Yep, they're the best brothers in the whole world." Luffy grinned as they walked towards them. "But don't tell Ace I said that."

"Captain Shanks, it's an honour to meet you." Sabo bowed politely which caused Shanks to laugh out loud.

"This polite kid is your brother. What the hell happened to you Anchor?" Shanks laughed which caused Sabo to blush. He didn't think that he would get that kind of response from the infamous Red haired Pirate. Were all strong pirates this laid back on general manners? First Whitebeard laughed at him and now Shanks too.

"Hey, I'm polite too!" Luffy turned and yelled back.

"Anchor you couldn't be polite to save your life."

"Shut up Shanks, don't be mean." Luffy yelled back with such fury.

Ace and Sabo glanced at each other with a whole new opinion on this great man. Him and Luffy, were exactly the same. Ace couldn't believe what he was seeing, it was like he was seeing a young and future Luffy arguing with each other. They were exactly the same.

"So boys, tell me how you three met." Shanks asked which Luffy took the liberty of explaining their entire history in full detail. Ace could see they had gained the entire attention of both crews, most of the Whitebeard Pirates hadn't even heard this story before. All of them just assumed that the past was a sore topic, they were too polite or scared to see the reaction it may have caused by asking. And for the most of it, he was happy that they didn't have to explain every detail of their so called childhood.

"I was not that mean." Ace grumbled hearing the way Luffy described him at their first meeting.

"You spat on me!" Luffy pointed accusingly towards him.

"You were being a brat," Ace grinned crossing his arms over his chest.

"You threw a tree at me."

"You shouldn't have been following me." Ace watched as his brother started to resemble some of his old self. He couldn't remember the last time they banted like this with each other.

"You were pretty mean, Ace." Sabo added with his own smirk.

"Don't get me started, you're the one that said we should have killed him." Ace accused his brother.

"No, that was you." Sabo stared back.

"Fine, but you agreed straight away."

They were interrupted by a loud laugh. Looking back at the captain they saw that he was barely holding it together. He fell backwards against the railing and had his hand on his eyes trying not to cry with his laughter.

"How the hell did you make this one your brother," he asked through his tears wanting to know more.

"That's kind of a long story," Sabo added rubbing the back of his head nervously. Their background tails was not really something that they were too proud of. The end result was something they wouldn't change, but the getting there could have been better. But in the end, they learnt more about themselves in those few days meeting Luffy, than they did in their entire lives.

"We got time kid." Shanks settled back down and held onto Luffy who still couldn't wipe that smile off his face.

"You okay Princess," Octavia glanced back up at Thatch and nodded but she didn't know if that was the truth of not. She didn't know what was going through her mind at the moment.

She watched and listened to the story about her three brothers and their becoming a family, again. She had heard variants of their story countless times and all from the others different point of view. She was amazed at how the story changed depending on who was telling it to her. But in the end it was the same story, they became sworn brothers forever.

"Do you want to go over?" Thatch whispered kneeling down in front of her. Thatch was nervous. Not because of the Yonko who had come aboard his ship, and not because the potential outcome of his visit could, and most probably will, mean the loss of the wolfpack on their ship.

But he was worried about the girl who was latched onto his hand. She hadn't uttered a single word since the man came aboard, and then when he did; she hid herself. He had seen this type of behaviour from her a few times over the few months she had been here, and every time it came up, something bad was going to happen.

"I'll come with you." He asked not wanting to see her this anxious.

She quickly shook her head. She didn't want to go over there just yet, she wanted to watch him some more without having to put on a happy face. This man made her feel different, not the bad different that she had experienced before, but something different, and it worried her almost more than before. She knew that the feeling before was bad, her instincts told her to be on her guard. But now she felt nothing like that, she wasn't feeling the urge to throw out her shield and force her brothers to stand beside her.

He was unknown to her.

She didn't like feeling this unknown.

It scared her.

"So where's this Flick I've heard so much about?"

Her eyes snapped to the man who was picking up a drink from the barrel next to him. She had watched him drink through almost an entire barrel to himself whilst listening to her brother's stories. His cheeks were tinted pink and his laughter grew louder.

"Flick, she's-" Luffy turned around and let his eyes scan the crowds.

"Flick!" he pointed towards her and she froze. She didn't want to be singled out like this. All eyes seemed to snap in her direction and she clutched onto Thatch's hand tighter. She wanted to run.

"Flick?" It was Ace's wary voice that caused her to peek out from around Thatch. She saw him start to walk towards her as her eyes darted around her trying to find the nearest escape. But everywhere she looked she saw more pirates blocking her exit, the galley was blocked, the lookout was blocked, the stairwell was blocked. There were so many people on board.

Then everything stopped when the sound of ceramic shattered on the deck.

She looked over to the red haired captain as his eyes locked onto hers. She saw his hand move to the centre of his chest and he squeezed his white shirt between his hands with a pained expression on his face.

"Octavia," he whispered and her eyes widened.

He knew her name.

How did he know her name?

Thoughts ran back to her wanted poster.

Was he after her as well?

Whimpering she hid herself behind Thatch and clutched her hands into his shirt. He would protect her. He wouldn't let him take her away.

"What!" Thatch roared and stepped in front of her protectively. Marco and Namur were quick to take her flank, and Izo stood behind her. She could feel the sharpshooter's hand grasp her other hand and she clung onto him with everything she had. Her four guardians surrounded her quickly not leaving a single side of her unprotected.

Her breathing grew rapid as the sounds of weapons being drawn surrounded all over the deck. It was the marines all over again. She squeezed her eyes shut and started to count. Her father had told her to count to three hundred last time and it would all be over. She wanted it to be over.

"Explain yourself." Marco growled.

"Boys." Marco signalled to Ace, who quickly grabbed his brothers and moved out of the line of sight. This friendly meeting had quickly diminished and was now turning into the beginnings of a battle.

Ace and Sabo threw Luffy behind them and prepared themselves for anything. Both their eyes were darting back and forth between their distressed sister and the man who had caused it. Ace knew how precious names were with pirates. And for this pirate to recognise his sister and then name her was something terrifying, and her true name.

Who was this man?

"Shanks?" Luffy mumbled and tried to fight through his brothers locked arms but they weren't budging. He didn't understand. He didn't see why everyone was aiming their eyes and some weapons towards him.

"Octavia," she could hear his voice as he called out to her.

_'Octavia.'_

Shanks stared at the young girl blocked from his sights. The small glimpse. That fraction of a second was all it took to see her. It was her eyes that did it for him. He remembered staring into those eyes for most of his life.

But she was dead.

She was meant to have died with Lisara.

He had seen the flames.

He had seen the aftermath.

He had seen the bodies.

But she was here.

She was alive.

"You're alive." His voice trembled as he stepped forwards.

Octavia whimpered as her memories flashed before her eyes. Visions of a man who ran around the meadow with her. A man who carried her on his shoulders and told her stories. A man who put flowers in her hair and taught her how to play games.

"Little Red, it's me." He spoke softly.

"Stay back," she heard Thatch's growl and the vibrations ran through his back and into her hands. Her face buried into his lower back and she wanted to run. She wanted to escape this.

She didn't understand.

She didn't understand how he knew her name, or why he kept calling for her.

She didn't understand why he wasn't attacking her.

She didn't understand why she was seeing things she could never remember until now.

"Octavia." A different voice called out and her eyes snapped to her father. He held out his hand to her and she instantly appeared in his arms and clutched to his white jacket.

"Papa," she buried her face into his coat and blocked out everything around her. He would protect her, he promised. His hands instantly moved to her hair and his large fingers moved through it helping her relax.

"Calm your breathing child. You are safe." His voice whispered only to her and she followed his commands.

"No one will hurt you here," she nodded into his chest and finally stopped the panting that was her breathing.

Shanks watched as the girl disappeared in a blink of an eye. That was all the confirmation that he needed. This was his Little Red. Turning around at the sound of her voice he saw her in the arms of Whitebeard.

"You're alive," Shanks whispered feeling his knees beneath him grow weaker by the second.

"You have some explaining to do brat," Whitebeard called out with a level of authority that Shanks had never heard before.

The commanders were quick to take Whitebeard's flank and form a guard in front of her and their captain.

"Shanks?" he glanced down as Luffy was being herded behind the line of Whitebeard Commanders.

"It's okay Luffy." He reassured the worry boy. But the words didn't convince him, the words didn't convince himself. Right now his entire world had just been thrown on its axis. Everything he thought he knew and lost was right in front of him.

She was alive.

She had survived.

"Octavia my daughter," she looked up at her father and felt his hand wipe her cheeks. She hadn't even realise she had been crying. "Do you recognise this man?" he asked her and she bit down on her lip.

She didn't know what to say, she didn't know if this was the man that sparked those memories and all those visions. She didn't know if those were dreams, or if they were the truth. She didn't know.

Turning her head she glanced over her shoulder and to the man who was almost surrounded by every Whitebeard Pirate on board. She could see his crew standing on the sidelines and their weapons lowered with a quick word from their captain.

His entire crew were pushed back against the railing of the Moby Dick, none of them were able to get through to their captain who was in the centre. She knew if she said the wrong thing, what happened next could cause a lot of trouble.

She looked at the man. She looked into his familiar eyes and she didn't feel the pain when she usually remembered something. But this time she felt, content maybe?

"Little Red, it's me. Uncle Red." He stepped forwards but was stopped by Marco who placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Uncle?" Marco spoke up from his side and her eyes went wide. He was her uncle.

Uncle.

Uncle Red.

_Catch me Uncle Red. _

_You're so mean Uncle Red. _

_Look how big you've gotten Little Red. _

_I love you Uncle Red. _

Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked at the man who dubbed himself as her uncle. She couldn't remember more now, every second, every word that he said caused flashes of her past to plague her mind. She knew she had an Uncle Red now. She remembered it clearly.

But this man was different.

He had one arm.

The huge scar across his face.

But that smile.

Was he her Uncle from all those years ago?

* * *

_**'We cross our bridges when we come to them, and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke , and a presumption that our eyes once watered.'**_

* * *

**Okay so do I need to hide? Shanks IS NOT HER FATHER! But her Uncle :p  
**

**Her Mother is Shanks' brother. :D And man she kicked ass! But she will be mentioned in the next chapter. **

**Next Chapter: Questioned asked and secrets revealed :D**

**Thanks to ~~ Reaganbrie, Morietachibana, Rinslayer [love your reviews log in so I can reply ;) , DarkAngelLida, bibliophile, GoldenMelon, OnePieceDoesExist, Nala1220, Savage Kill, GuestyGuest, Amy1945, LilNightmare17, Kiara97, Fairy if the Friz, Shadow2Wolf, AnimeLoverm**

**Love you people! **

**xx **


	18. Chapter 18 - Secrets, Missons and Pasts

Hello awesome Nerds :D

WOW seriously the amount reviews last week left me absolutely gobsmacked! Thank you to everyone! and to people who are my quiet readers - I love you too.

But wow :D Smiles all round people.

And for you an EXTRA LONG Chapter! - There was no way I was going to split this one up - Didn't want to be cruel. :)

* * *

**_'Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls. The massive characters are seared with scars.'_**

* * *

The entire deck full of pirates, from both Shanks' crew, and the Whitebeard army that had emerged were all in total silence. All she could hear was the pounding in her chest and the solid thumping of her lungs as they tried to grasp on the air around her. Her hands gripped onto her father's and she felt his arms stiffen around her.

Uncle.

Uncle Red.

This was her Uncle.

His voice rang through her mind, but they were words that she hadn't heard the man speak before. They were memories from a time she could grasp onto yet. They were moments that she had forgotten, memories that were locked away. Precious memories.

But unlike before, those voices and visions were now clear and less crackly. She could see the man before her in her lost memories. A man she loved, a man she looked up to with everything she had. He was her hero, her idol. She wanted to be like him, she wanted to have friends and a crew like him and she wanted to be free like him one day. That was her dream; Once upon a time.

"Here," she watched as the man before her pulled the long black cord that wrapped around his neck and disappeared into his opened white shirt. He tugged on it until a silver heart was pulled out. He held it out to Ace who looked down at it first.

She waited for her brother to inspect the object first. He would pass it onto her, if he trusted it. He would keep her from any harm whether it was physical or mental.

Ace looked down at the locket in his hands and then back to the red haired captain in front of him. He showed it to his brother who was just as shocked as he was. Silently he left his brother's side and walked towards his sister. Stepping past the commanders he was quickly lifted onto Whitebeard's armchair.

"Flick," he whispered and handed her the locket. He stared at her and waited for whatever reaction he was going to receive. And no matter what it was, he was going to be there for her, whether to cry on or stand by her as she made the first attack on the pirates. No matter what.

She stared down at the silver heart locket. It was opened down the centre, cutting in in half. But what she saw inside made her gasp. She stared back at a photo of a woman she thought she'd never see again. It was a picture of a woman, of a mother, she had started to forget. Her finger brushed against her light strawberry hair, and the smile on her face as she looked down at the baby in her arms.

As she looked down at her.

She had forgotten about the dimples in her mother's cheeks as she smiled, or the colour of her eyes as they were shed with pure happiness. She couldn't remember those things. But now she could. She could remember the sound of her voice as she sung her a lullaby to sleep each night, she could remember the jingle in her laugh and the yell of her voice.

"Mama," she whispered letting her tears roll down her cheeks. Her eyes wandered from her mother and to the man who stood beside her. She had never met this man before, she had only seen pictures of him and only heard stories of the man who had sacrificed everything to protect them.

A vision that she had long forgotten. She could remember only the small stories her mother used to tell her about her father, that he was kind and generous. That he was a man who loved everyone and was strong and loyal, he was a pirate.

This was her father.

He stood tall, peering over her mother's shoulder as his hand was placed gently cupping the back of the baby's head. His dark brown eyes stared at the baby whilst his other arm was draped around her mother.

Her father.

She tore her eyes away from her parents and looked at the other image and then back up to the man. It was the same man, her uncle, but he didn't have the dominant scar that ran down his face, and he had two arms and a familiar straw hat on his head. In his arms was the same baby, the same one who was smiling brightly with its hands wrapped around his finger.

_'Uncle Red!'_

_'Can you read me a story?'_

_'Why do you have to go?'_

_'Can we play a game Uncle Red?'_

_'Come meet my friends, they're so cool.'_

_'Uncle Red.'_

She looked back to the man and she could see his eyes staring back at her. Almost pleading with her to remember, to just acknowledge that she knew him.

"Do you remember him?" she looked up at her father as he stroked her hair.

"Yes," she whimpered and buried her face into his jacket.

Ace was shocked for words. He stared at his sister and then to the man who seemed to place more ties around his brothers and sister. Reaching out he wrapped his hand around hers and he felt her tight squeeze back.

"Octavia," she lifted her head and back to her Uncle. He held out his one arm and his eyes pleaded to her. "Please Little Red," his voice was so soft that she barely heard him.

She shook her head not brave enough to confront this man who in turn was her Uncle. She could remember fragments of her memories, and of this man. But all she could remember was her mother, the way she would yell at the man, the way she would laugh and smile around him. She remembered the strange people who would often visit with the man and would always bring her small tokens that they found at sea.

Flashes of memories were bombarding her mind, so much that it made her head spin. She couldn't make out what was real or what was fake.

She could visualise her small room, with all her trinkets and gifts lines around her shelves and her windows. She adored every gift she got from her Uncle and his friends. They were her treasures. But they were all gone now. Everything she had known, everything that was given to her was gone.

"Where were you?" she whispered feeling her heart pound in her chest. She remembered his words, his vows to protect them. To always protect her and her mother. But they were a lie.

"Octavia?" she heard his voice whisper when they locked eyes.

"Where were you!" she turned around and faced off at the red haired man. Her hands clutched onto her father's arm as he restrained her to his lap. Betrayal flooded her body as the memories flooded her. He promised to protect them. But where was he, where was he when the marines came, where was he when they killed her mother in front of her, where was he when they tore her from her home and threw her into a wooden crate, where was he when her home was erupted into flames.

"Flick," Ace stood behind her and held her to his chest. Whitebeard's arms were wrapped tightly around them both. He wasn't letting them go. No matter what happened.

"They killed her, you said you'd protect us. Where were you!" She screamed letting her tears flood down her cheeks. Her heart ached in her chest. He was right in front of her. He was there. The man who was her family, her mother's family and he left them. He swore to protect them. She couldn't remember being stuck in that crate begging for her mother, begging for her Uncle to come and save her.

But he never showed.

No one helped her.

No one saved her.

"Flick," Ace pulled her away from the man and forced her face into his chest. Her hands fisted his shirt as she sobbed her heart away. He glared at the man in front of him. He suddenly lost all respect for the man.

The hero that his youngest brother had made him out to be was a lie. You may be a hero to save a young brat form bandits, but to abandon your own family made you scum. No real man ever abandoned their family. No real father ever abandoned their family.

"I'm so sorry." She could hear the man's pleas as his voice cracked.

"I want my mama back," she whimpered clinging to her brother and father. "Bring her back! Bring her back to me."

"I'm sorry, I was too late." Shanks fell to his knees and felt his heart break. Not a single day went past when he didn't think about his sister and niece. If he had only been faster, if only he had taken a different route, if only they had known sooner. He would have made it on time. He would have been there to save them. To protect the only true family he had left.

"I think we should part for a while, we will meet again later." Marco stepped forwards and spoke to him. His tone was not the usual demand that he would receive from the commander, but almost sympathetic. He took one look at his niece and nodded. She was in pain and it was because of him.

He had brought back the horrid memories of their past. A past she had clearly blocked out from her mind. A past that her mind had forced in the very depths of her conscience to protect her. And he had undone all of that. He brought back the pain.

"Come on Captain," Benn appeared next to him and pulled him to his feet. His eyes never left her.

"Shanks," looking across the deck of Whitebeard Pirates and saw his little Luffy being held back by his blonde haired big brother.

"I'll see you a little bit later, alright bud." He tried to put on a smile for him. Luffy was way too perceptive for his own good, and he always took upon someone else's pain as his own. It was just the kind of person he was. "Look after that sister of yours." He whispered and earned a solid nod from him.

"Can we have dinner together, Lyon and Flick are the best cooks in the whole world." Luffy beamed and he nodded.

"We'll see, kiddo." He looked up at Whitebeard and then to the girl in his arms. He noticed the way she called him her father and he called her his daughter. Without saying another word he left back towards his ship.

"Shanks."

Ignoring the small pleas of his crew members he headed to his office where there was a corner dedicated to his lost family. He stared at the photos that lined the wall and the small trinkets he had kept over the years. His hand picked up the small plush dog that had seen better days. He remembered placing the pristine white dog into her crib a few days after she was born and it had never left her sight.

Now the small white thing was barely white, it had one charred eat remaining whilst the other was complete burnt off. Its eyes and nose had melted and snapped off over the years. But it was still soft. And he would never ever throw it away. It was one of the only things he salvage in the wreckage of their home. A small crate full was all he could save, that was all he could save from the fire that ripped through their home.

Falling into his chair he stared at the wall of memories that now seemed to taunt him even more than before.

"I'm so sorry," tears rushed down his cheeks as he stared at the photo of his baby sister dressed in white. Her long cherry hair flowed down her sides and her bright green eyes were wide with happiness. Her arm was looped through his best friends. A man that no other could compare too, he was the only one who he would ever deem worthy enough for his sister's heart, the only one who could truly make her happy and protect her from the world.

"Lisara, I've failed you." He whispered looking at her face; "She was alive all this time." His voice broke as he spoke to the photo once again. He would speak to her when he felt his guilt take over.

"I failed her." he clutched the toy to his chest and buried his face.

* * *

Octavia stayed in her brother's arms and her father's lap as the red haired crew left the deck. Silence droned aboard the Moby Dick and she tried hard to control her emotions that were flooding out of her.

She could feel her father running his fingers through her hair and she bit back the last of her sobs.

"You're okay," his voice spoke down to her and she nodded. She was okay. She was physically okay. And for the rest of it, her family was here to help her. She wasn't alone. She'd never be alone.

"Papa," she whispered and looked up at the man. She wanted him to tell her what to do, she needed someone to tell her what was going on and how to handle it.

"He is your Uncle, child." He smile gently to her and she slowly but hesitantly nodded. She knew this now. Staring down at the locket still in her hands she could see the way that he looked at her as a baby. The way her parents looked down at her. They loved her. She noticed the silver gem necklace hanging around her mother's neck and she quickly clutched onto it.

"Why wasn't he there?" she asked looking up at her father for answers.

"Only he can tell you his story." He spoke the words that she didn't want to hear. She didn't want to have to speak to the man just yet. She wished she hadn't remembered him. She wished this feeling of abandonment would disappear. She wanted to know what she did wrong for him not to come for them. She wanted to know why he wasn't there like he had always promised.

She could remember him saying he loved her over and over in her mind but she couldn't understand. She wanted to know, but at the same time she didn't want to see him again. She wanted nothing to do with the man who had been absent in her life for so many years.

"Let us go inside," her father called out and signalled for the commanders to set up the guards. Even though they were in his own territory, there was a non-ally floating right next to them. He would never leave anything up to chance again, he would take every precaution to make sure that his youngest were safe.

Octavia stayed in her father's arms as he carried her back below deck and towards his office. She was grateful that he didn't leave her alone or make her go anywhere else. She wanted to be with him. Entering the main cabin she saw her favourite dogs bark and bound towards her.

As soon as she was placed on the bed they both jumped up to her. Ghost started licking her face and wiped away her tears that still fell, whilst Stefan growled while circling her. His nose pressed into her arm a few times before he stopped and took a protective spot in front of her.

"Flick," looking back at the door she noticed her brothers hesitating in the doorway with their guardians behind them. Luffy shuffled in first and climbed up onto the bed. Without saying a word he crawl towards her and found his way into her lap. Her arms wrapped around him and she buried her face into his hair. A new round of tears formed and she felt another set of arms wrap around her stomach. Ace sat behind her and gentle tugged her into his chest.

"We're here." Sabo sat down beside her and placed his hand over hers. They were her brothers. A sob broke her lips and she leant into them for support.

The four of them lay on their father's bed until they had slowly dozed off.

* * *

Thatch sighed and took a seat against the newly restored windows and looked at the four brats.

"Why is it always her?" he groaned and reached for the stash of sake bottle knowing that his Pops wouldn't mind. Marco took a seat next to him along the ledge and grabbed at the bottle and took a long drink of it.

"She's a magnet," he laughed but it didn't reach his eyes.

"He's her uncle," Izo sighed sitting on the corner of Pops' desk.

"So it would seem." Whitebeard added reaching for his own drink.

"What do we do now?" Namur asked following his brothers actions and took his own bottle of sake.

"She was so hurt," Thatch whispered not letting his eyes move off her face. There was no way in hell he was going to let her leave them now. None of them were going to be leaving this ship. This was their home and they belonged here. He'd kidnap them if he had to.

"You heard him, he thought she was dead." Marco added not liking that he was somewhat defending the man.

"If he witnessed the remains of a buster call." Izo added shaking his head. He could only imagine the devastation a buster call would leave behind. If there was anything to be left behind that is, the whole point was to destroy anything and everything in its path.

The five of them stared at the group of sleeping brats and each of them tried to collect their thoughts. To be bombarded with such information as well as seeing Flick react so distraught from just the sight of the man.

Thatch could only imagine the memories that came flooding back at the sight of her Uncle. He knew that Shanks was a good man, that he would have been an amazing uncle. So for him not to be there, to not know that she was alive all this time. Something must have happened. He knew that he would not stop searching until he found evidence of a body, so what did Shanks find that made he believe her to be dead?

"So it was true about his arm, huh?" Izo added remembering the shock she felt when she actually saw the man with only one arm.

"Indeed the rumours were true." Whitebeard added.

"Would also explain why his and Hawk Eye's battles had suddenly disappeared altogether." Thatch scoffed. No doubt that swordsman felt that Shanks was an unfit opponent with only one arm to battle with.

"I wonder how he lost it, I wonder which rumour ends up being the truth." Marco added. They were millions of stories that flooded the waters of how the great Red Haired Shanks had lost his arm, from sea kings, to drunk bar fights, too he ate it off. They ranged from plausible to outright ridiculous.

Octavia kept her eyes low as she listened to her father and commanders talk about her Uncle. She listened as they devised a plan to find out all the information that she would want to know. She smiled at Thatch's demand that she would not be forced to speak to Shanks until she was ready, and what made her feel even better, was when everyone in the room agreed. No one was going to force her into anything she didn't want to.

But she also knew that time was not with them. Having two yonko's sitting together at a small island was not something the marines would sit by. A few days was all they had before it would become too dangerous to stay. She had a few days to understand everything that was going on.

"How you feeling?" she heard a small whisper next to her. Lifting her head slightly she looked at Ace who had his eyes open wide and was staring at her. He had somehow moved to sleep next to her with Luffy crushed in between them. Sabo was behind her and his arm lay around her waist protectively.

"I don't know," she spoke truthfully.

"What do you remember before that day?" he asked and she felt a small smile on her face.

"Just bits and pieces. He was always smiling. Just like Luffy." She squeezed the rubber boy in-between her arms.

"He reminds me of Luffy," Ace added with a smirk.

"Ace, what do I do?" she asked her brother hoping he could give her the answers she wanted.

"I can't decide that for you," he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Please Ace," her hand squeezed his and he open his eyes to look at her. She pleaded with him to tell her what to do. "Please tell me what to do."

"Flick."

"Please," she begged.

"I think you should speak with him." He spoke the words softly and she trembled slightly.

"Only to find answers, Flick. You can find out why he wasn't there that day, maybe he'll know why the World Government is after you, and maybe he knows why your powers are different. Maybe he could answer all your fears. You don't have to see him as your Uncle just yet. But you could get answers first. And then decide what he is to you." He explained and she felt a slight pressure get released from her chest. She could do that, she could ask him questions first and then make her decision after knowing all the facts. She knew what she would do now.

"Okay," she nodded and let her eyes close again. She would speak to him. But not as her Uncle, just as a man who may have the answers she was longing for.

"We'll be there too." She felt the arm around her tighten and she could feel Sabo's breathe tickle against her back. She didn't realise he was awake with them.

"Always," mumbled a sleepy Luffy who was still clutching at her.

"Thank you." She whispered and snuggled back against her brothers.

They seemed to lay there in each other's arms for hours. They would whisper small things to each other or listen to the commanders speak out about different things. It seemed that everyone was trying to avoid the giant pink elephant in the room for just a little while longer.

The commanders pretended to not notice that they were awake now and for that she was grateful for. She wanted this time just to be with her brothers, but she didn't want to be separated from the pirates either. Her hands ran through Luffy's hair as he lay snoring against her chest. She could hear his soft mumbles of his dreams that would bring a smile to her face. No matter how much the four of them had been through, he still mostly had pleasant and happy dreams.

"We should probably get up," Sabo whispered from behind them. He didn't want to speak those words or even follow through with them but he knew that eventually they were going to have to face the inevitable.

"Alright." She whispered taking in one last breath of the scents of her brothers before she slowly sat up. She looked around the room and gathered the attention of all her commanders and her father. He sat at his desk with a large bottle of sake sitting next to him, no doubt it was probably empty by now. Seeing him pat on his knee she disappeared from her brothers arms and into her father's.

"Papa," she whispered burying her face into his shirt and gripping onto his jacket. She knew now what she was going to do, but she would only do it with her family beside her. It was the only way she could even contemplate going through with seeing her Uncle again.

"Octavia," he whispered back while running his large fingers through her hair.

"I want to make a list," her voice spoke out as strong as she could muster. Looking up at her father she could tell he wasn't at all surprised by her request and moved them closer to his desk. He turned her so that she was facing a new blank piece of paper and a pencil. His large arm stayed around her whilst he learned forward and picked up the pencil with his other.

"What would like me to write?" he asked and she felt some of her confidence come back.

"Where was he the day my mother died?" she asked the most important question first and she watched as Whitebeard wrote down the question in his neat calligraphic writing. The group of them sat around Whitebeard's desk and slowly started to throw in their own thoughts and questions that she and they might want to know.

* * *

"Where were you the day my mother died?" Her voice spoke firmly as she stared at her red haired Uncle. They were all sat back on the Moby Dick deck, however there were only a small group from each ship allowed in this meeting. Commanders only.

Shanks was surprised when he had gotten the message that Octavia wanted to speak to him. He thought that small encounter was all he would be allowed to see of his niece. He never thought by the looks of the commanders protecting her, that they would allow her to see him every again. He thought he would have been questioned by them first beforehand.

Marco was the one to come aboard his ship and enter his chambers, he thrust the letter towards him and stood firmly and waited for him to read the terms and conditions to the meeting and that was all it was, a meeting.

"She wants to see me?" he voiced his question after reading the note over and over again.

"She has a list of questions she wants to ask. You will answer every single one of them with complete honesty." Marco spoke with all the authority he had within him.

"Anything," Shanks almost pleaded.

"If you hurt her, so help me Shanks." Marco warned not liking this whole plan. If he had his way Flick would never see this man again until he and Pops had all the answers they desired in front of them, and then and only then would they decide if the man was good enough to see her.

"She's my niece, I would never hurt her!" Shanks growled.

"And she's our sister and daughter. You will do good to remember that." Marco stood tall. In a very small sense he felt sympathy towards the captain who sat so broken in front of him. He could see the wall of his office line with an almost creepy shrine of his sister and her family. The man who sat in front of him was not one the strongest, bravest men on the seas; but a man who had just had his heart ripped into shreds and thrown into a turmoil of pure guilt.

"Please reframe from asking her any questions. She will open up to you if she feels safe enough." Marco sighed seeing his frantic nod.

"Please just take me to her." Shanks begged and rushed to his feet. His hands were clutching a small stuffed toy in his hands. Marco sighed almost seeing a replica of Ghost of when Flick has just found him, beaten and covered in dirt.

"Come," Marco lead the captain out of his own quarters and towards the Moby Dick. He could see his men trailing behind protectively and he knew that there would be a certain few men back home waiting to flank their precious girl.

Shanks sat down on the crates provided sitting directly opposite Whitebeard's massive thrown. He could see the three other commanders standing protectively around the throne and Luffy and the other boys were standing in front of it.

A smile crept onto his face as he saw Luffy waving and shouting towards him. He couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment as he looked at him. He waved back but didn't approach him like he wanted to. And he could see the way Ace was holding the boy to his spot, stopping him from coming over to him. He was sure that the boys had been given strict instructions on what they could and couldn't do and say in this meeting.

Right now there was a clear line between the two leagues of pirates and it was clear that if one thing went wrong it was going to get messy very quickly.

He kept his promise and kept quiet until Octavia asked her first question. He could see the way she sat on Whitebeard's lap with the large piece of paper in her hands, he could see the slight tremble in the paper that was caused by more than just the wind, she was nervous. With a small brush on the back from Whitebeard himself she cleared her throat and looked at him directly in the eyes.

And then she asked the question he was dreading to answer.

"Where were you the day my mother died?" her voice stayed firm and he felt a small bit of pride for her. She was just as strong as her mother. You would be proud her Lisara.

"I was too late." He whispered looking down at the toy still in his hands. All those years it had been her security blanket, but now it was his.

"A week before, Lisara called me. She was nervous and begged me to come and get you both. She thought people were watching her, that they were following her in the marketplace." He spoke looking up at her. "She always knew when something was wrong, she got this strange feeling in her gut. She was never wrong."

Octavia looked to her brothers who glanced back at her. They knew exactly what each other were thinking. It would seem that her mother had the same instincts as her.

"We left straight away. I turned the ship around as soon as she called." He pleaded to her, begging for her to believe him; "I called her every day. And each day she sounded more worried, more frightened about the people who were around her, who were around you. She kept saying that she was going crazy, that people were watching her in the markets and that she could hear them whisper. But she wasn't crazy. We were two days out when the lines went dead."

His eyes fell onto the toy and he felt his heart constrict in his chest. He could remember seeing the smoke on the horizon as they got closer and closer to the island. He remembered the pained feeling in his chest when he saw the flames. He knew that he had lost everything in that moment.

"I was too late." He whispered clutching the toy dog; "Everything was on fire. The island was ripping apart as the sea took it back." He squeezed his eyes closed and he could almost smell the smoke, the stench of burning flesh; he would never be able to forget that smell for the rest of his life.

"By the time I go to the house, it was too late. I found you both in the middle of the kitchen. I thought it was both of you." He didn't dare lift his eyes. He couldn't bear to see the pain in her eyes as he brought back the memories that no doubt haunted the both of them for so many years. That imagine had burnt into his mind, he remember seeing the two charred bodies lying on the ground, clutching each other.

That image had haunted him every single day of his life.

"You saw two bodies?" Marco asked finding this new piece of information quite crucial.

"Yes, they were mostly unrecognisable." He felt the tears run down his eyes at the memory of the moment. As his hands ghosted over their bodies as his screams of agony echoed through the whole demolished village.

"How did you know it was them?" Marco asked again.

"Lisara's hair. There was no other colour like it in the world. I could still see part of her. But Octavia…" his head fell down and he lifted the small toy to his eyes. "She was clutching this." She never went anywhere without him.

"Shadow." A small voice caused his eyes to lift and he saw her staring at the toy with wide eyes.

Octavia had tears falling down her face as she listened to the part of the story that she had never known about. She didn't know about her mother's fear or the worry she had with the village people. A small gasp broke from her lips as she remembered that final day.

_'Uncle Red's coming sweetheart.' She looked up at her mother from her bed with a huge smile on her face. Clutching Shadow into her chest she looked out her bedroom window and into the flower field outside her house. She couldn't wait until he returned. _

_'We're all going to go on a holiday together.' Her mother sat down on the edge of her bed and stroked her hair. _

_'Really?' she beamed at her mother. She had always wanted to go with her Uncle and his friend out onto the ocean. _

_'Yes, so we will be gone for a little while. So today you should say goodbye to Book and Bear.' She nodded furiously. She would be sad that she would be leaving her friends but they would see each other again and then she would be able to tell them all about her adventures._

"Flick," she looked down at her brothers and shook her head.

"I brought him for you when you were born. He never left your side." Shanks lifted the small thing and turned its face towards her. A small smile broke out on her face as he moved it like she remembered. He moved its front paws together and made its head till sideways.

"It looks like Ghost!" Luffy giggled looking at the toy.

"I thought you were dead, I thought I'd lost both of you forever." Shanks broke the small silence and looked at her. He didn't care if she hated him for the rest of her life, he was just glad that she was actually alive. That she had found this family that loved her as much as he did. He would accept loving her from afar so long as she was happy and safe.

"Are you satisfied?" Whitebeard spoke only to her as she looked back at the piece of paper still in her hands. Nodding she looked at the next question. She had decided before she started this that she would gather all her answers she required, and then only afterwards when she was in the safety of her own room with her father and brothers would she think about how they made her feel. Only then would she allow herself to take everything in.

"Who's my biological father?" she asked using her words very carefully. For right now she had a new father, whom loved her just like any father would. She looked at the man as a smile broke out on his lips. Lifting his eyes he met hers.

"He was my best friend." He wiped his eyes clear and his voice became clearer; "He was a great man, the most honourable man I have ever met. You were his greatest treasure." He smiled at her and a small smile worked its way onto her face. She knew by the picture in the locket that her father loved her, she could see it in his eyes and in the way her mother would speak about him.

"His name was Tremape Rylan, but his correct name was Silvers Rylan."

A few gasps erupted behind her and she looked at each of her guardians faces. Their eyes moved to her and she felt everyone looking at her. She looked up at her father and tried to read his face. She didn't understand. Did everyone know who her father was?

"You mean to say that Silver's Rayleigh had a son." Whitebeard spoke fiercely. Never had he heard of such a rumour or possibility.

"Yes, this was way before Roger passed, right in the beginning of their own journey even. Rayleigh met a bar maid, her name was Risa." Shanks recalled the stories he had heard many times. But these stories were a secret that was kept to only four people.

"They were never married. So no connection was ever made during those times. But she had a son. Rylan. Rylan was in his early twenties when Roger was killed." He explained. Whitebeard listened as the story seemed to unfold. Those were dark days after the King himself was killed, there were witch hunts for each of Roger's crew members, and even more at the possibilities of sons or daughters being born.

"Rylan was a well-kept secret from everyone, but he always knew who his father was. But he had never met the man." This caused a lot more gasps; "It was too dangerous for the two to meet, more so even after Roger was killed. But Rylan received small notes or trinkets from his father. Rayleigh always knew where Rylan was even though no one in the world knew where he was hiding."

Whitebeard had met Rayleigh a few times in his life and he knew the man was as smart as they come. That was why he was the first mate to the King himself. No one was as smart or brave as that man. He sacrificed a life with his son to keep him safe. He watched over him like any good father would do, even if it meant living in the shadows.

"I beat the shit out of him when he told me he wanted to marry Lisara. I didn't even know they were seeing each other, let alone in love." Shanks laughed. "She was so angry with me, and then she kicked my ass for even attempting to say no." He laughed remembering the strong punch his sister had.

"Was she a pirate?" Octavia interrupted. Hearing that her mother had the strength to beat up Shanks had to prove her dreams were right. She remember her mother fighting off the marines, and she had taken plenty of them down without as much as a scratch. She was strong.

"No, she wasn't a pirate. Or a marine. But she was fierce. She could have taken the crown if she ever truly wanted it." He sighed; "She trained with me when we were kids, she beat up the bandits in our village and would send them running with their tails between their legs."

"The day you were born was the happiest day of all our lives." Shanks returned to the story. "You screamed so loudly, Lisara thought she had broken you." He laughed; "But then she held you, and you just stopped, just like that, you were at peace just by being in her arms. I had never seen her so maternal than in that moment. You changed her life, you changed all our lives."

"What happened to him?" she asked. She knew her father was dead, but she never knew why or how.

"That's a long story." He sighed wishing he had a drink next to him; "Do you ever remember eating a devil fruit?" he asked and she shook her head. Ever since she could remember she had her powers.

"We were travelling around together, and I suppose it all started when we found a very rare devil fruit, one that hadn't be found in decades." Shanks explained, wishing that he never found that dreadful thing.

"We were fighting about who should eat the fruit, no one wanted it, but then we didn't want such a powerful fruit falling into enemy hands." Shanks scoffed remembering the anger on his sister's face.

_'You eat it, you're the captain,' Rylan yelled pushing the plate with the large blue and white fruit on it towards Shanks._

_'No, my crew will not have devil fruit users on it, you eat it.' Shanks pushed it back. _

_'You found it, you eat it.' Rylan pushed. _

_'Oh fuck you both,' Lisara had sat there the entire time listening to them argue. Leaning forwards she grabbed the fruit and took a bite out of it before anyone could stop her. 'God dammit that's gross.' _

_'What the hell did you just do!' Shanks yelled standing abruptly, forcing his chair to go skidding backwards and slammed into the wall behind them. _

_'Well you two were squabbling like an old married couple, I fixed the problem. Now neither of you have to eat it and no one else bad can get their hands on it,' she finished and chugged down a glass of water trying to get rid of the horrid taste in her mouth. _

_'Lisara,' Rylan stepped forwards and placed his hands on her cheeks. His worry had just doubled. 'They will come for you now, more than before.'_

_'Yeah and I will kick their asses, just like before.' She scoffed not liking the baby treatment she was getting from her boyfriend and brother. _

"Lisara was frustrated with all the back and forth arguing, so she grabbed the fruit and ate it herself. We had no idea she was pregnant when she ate it."

"What was the devil fruit?" Marco asked.

"It was the wind wind fruit. She could create a pocket of air or wind out of nothing. The force she had when she used it was terrifying." He laughed remembering all the things she had broken during the months of her practising her new ability.

"When Lisara was pregnant, things in the world changed. Roger was killed and there was a manhunt for every ounce of blood that ran through any relative of his and his pirate crew. The World Government would stop at nothing to gather the children of the Roger Pirates." He explained.

Ace looked at the man as his heart sank. He knew why. All this talk of his father brought a horrid feeling in his gut, he forced back the bile that rose to the back of his throat. He was one of those children who were hunted for the blood that ran through his veins. He looked up at his sister and knew that now she was one of those other children who was being hunted. They were the monsters that the world saw.

"With no connection between you, Rylan and Rayleigh, we thought we were safe enough. We kept Lisara on the move whilst she was pregnant. But there were people who started to suspect us, with our own pirate history, Rylan's features and Lisara's strength with her devil fruit power. We were attacked often but we made sure that no one would ever speak of us." Everyone knew what he meant. They left no witnesses.

"Lisara's skill with her power was amazing," Shanks spoke with pride in his voice; "She created this barrier around her stomach every time an enemy approached. She left nothing to chance, she wasn't going to let anything or anyone hurt her baby. And neither were we. She held it up through most of her pregnancy and then even through the labour. We just so happened to be under attack when her water broke." He laughed remembering the wave of haki that rushed through all the enemy's when one of her powerful contractions hit; "She took down majority of the enemies through her labour."

Octavia looked at her Uncle and then up at her father. Her mother was able to create a barrier out of air. Her mother had a barrier like she did. What did this mean?

"Meanwhile, we searched for the safest place in the world where you could live and be safe." He could remember Rylan pacing up and down his navigation room pulling at his hair at the thought of finding the perfect place for his family. He wanted to keep them safe, but he didn't want them to be running for the rest of their lives.

"We came to an island that seemed small. The village was small but with good sources for supplies. They had many farms and their own crops to live off. There was very little money brought from this village, everything was worked through trades. People would trade their own stocks for others. Everyone helped out each other, it was the perfect place. The island was a floating island. It was never in the same place for more than a few days before it followed an orbit around the ocean. We thought it was the perfect place."

She could remember the days her and her mother would go into the market place with bundles of fresh fruits and flowers from their garden. She remembered the faces of the people who greeted her and would give her small treats on top of the small trades her mother would do with them. They always smiled at her.

"Everything was perfect. You were such a happy baby." He smiled at her but it didn't reach his eyes. She knew this was the part where everything changed. "You saw the world, and you wanted to see it all. Even when you were meant to be sleeping in your crib you were wide awake. You were two when your first barrier came up."

All around her people gasped. Her hand clutched onto her father's as she tried to restrain herself. She had a shield when she was a baby.

"Haki?" Marco questioned shocked.

"No," Shanks shook his head. "We couldn't feel any presence of it. She just did it. A pure pocked full of air wrapped tightly around her. Just like her mothers."

"My devil fruit?" she asked looking at her father and then to her uncle. She didn't understand what was going on. How could she use her shield if she hadn't eaten her devil fruit yet?

"You ate the devil fruit when you were four years old." Shanks explained and she was still confused.

"We didn't know how you were able to create this shield. It was so much like Lisara's but it was no Haki. Yours was a solid shield. Created of pure hardened air."

"You're sure it wasn't haki?" Marco asked with concern written all over his face.

"Lisara had it. She was able to wield it when she was incredible young. So we thought it was some manifestation from her using it so much during her pregnancy. We never thought it could be anything else."

"What's Haki?" Octavia asked not understanding this term at all. She had never read about it in all the books she had read and she had never heard of any of the crew member's mention it during their training.

"It's a power that only very few in the world can ever hope to unlock. I will explain it more in depth later." Whitebeard spoke down to her and she nodded.

"We were panicked. She was so young, we didn't know what to do. There was no child in history that we knew of, that was born with an ability like this, and if it was some strange form of Haki then she was even more of a wonder. A target." Shanked explained.

"It was the first time Rylan contacted his father." The group sat around as Shanks retold the story that would hopefully shed some light on Octavia and her abilities.

"We weren't even sure if Rayleigh got our message or not. We had no idea where to send it or what to write, we couldn't just plainly write your granddaughter is gifted please come help." He scoffed, "But we wrote a cryptic message and sent it to the papers. The next week Rayleigh appeared at our doorstep." He could remember the shocked expressions on everyone's faces when one of the greatest men alive tugged off his hood and asked to see his granddaughter.

"He watched you for hours and watched as your shield came up several times. He examined it, compared it to Lisara's and after hours and hours of him not uttering a single word he explained his thoughts. He suspected that through Lisara's pregnancy and the timing of when she ate the fruit, and the ability of Lisara being able to keep her air shield up and surrounded around her uterus was what triggered this transfer of ability."

Octavia looked at her uncle and then to her father, she didn't understand. What did it mean?

"It is believed that your mother was able to give you a part of her devil fruit power whilst you were still inside her." Whitebeard explained and her eyes went wide. She had her mother's power. She looked down at her hands and a small smile appeared on her face. She had something left of her mother.

"Rayleigh came up with the plan to find the perfect devil fruit for you. If we found it and soon then we could disguise your barrier with a devil fruit ability, but it had to be the right fruit. It took us two years before we found the fruit. The Warp Warp fruit. It was your father who found it. But he had to steal it off an admiral's ship." He looked directly at her as he spoke the next words. Words that he thought he'd never have the chance to tell her again.

"Your father knew he had been discovered. They knew who he was and what he was trying to steal, but he succeeded and managed to send it to me with a letter. He told me to tell you that every time I saw you," Shanks lifted his head and looked at her directly.

"He wanted me to tell you every single day, that your daddy loves you, that you are his most precious thing in this world and the next. He is so very proud of you, and that he would always be there watching over you." He recited the letter that he had reread so many times of the last few years.

Octavia clutched at her father's hand and turned to bury her face into his jacket. She didn't want to cry in front of everyone, she promised herself she would control herself. But she couldn't hold it back any longer. She knew what happened next in the story, her father had sacrificed his own life to find her that fruit. To help hide her from the world.

Shanks looked at the broken girl so far away from him. He would give anything to be able to hold her and to tell her that everything would be alright, but that role had been filled already. She didn't cling to her uncle the way she used to, she clung to another she called father.

"I'm so sorry Little Red," he whispered through his own tears as he saw her back tremble. She had been through hell and back and now he was bringing it all back again.

Hearing him call out her nickname she felt another sob break through her mouth. He was her uncle. He tried to protect them. He had tried to come save them. He tried. He never gave up on them.

"It's not your fault." She slowly peaked out from under her father's arm and looked at her Uncle. His head was lowered and she could see his tears falling onto the wooden deck below.

"What?" he whispered looking up at her.

"It's not your fault. It's theirs." She whispered the words that Ace and Sabo would whisper to her every time she had a nightmare, or anytime she flinched at something so small.

"It's always theirs." She hiccupped and turned back to face him. Wiping her eyes with her sleeves she tried to stop the flow, but they just kept coming.

"Little Red," she could hear the pain in his voice as he forced back his own tears.

"Uncle Red," she choked on her own tears as she stood up from her perch. Her hands reached towards him and his arm was out wide towards her.

She disappeared from her father and straight into her Uncle's arm. He buckled backwards but did not let her go. Tears streamed down her face when his scent washed over her. It reminded her of her mother, how it would always make her feel safe and loved. She remembered their small wooden house on the top of the hill, she remembered the field of flowers outside her house, and she remembered skipping through the tall grass with her Uncle chasing after her.

Everything came flooding back.

"My Little Red," Shanks whispered letting himself sink to the ground and hold his niece against his body. "I thought I'd lost you." He whispered letting his finger run through her hair.

* * *

_**'The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.'**_

* * *

**Wellllllll What do you think?  
**

**Uncle Red never and would never come to aid his family - but the World Government were quicker. :( Poor Shanks**

**I want to make this clear - this story will not turn into a OC is unbelievably over powered and destroys absolutely everything in their path. Alike Luffy, Octavia wants to live her own life, like she has done. Her family influence will just be her family and leave it at that. **

**I love Rayleigh. And I wanted to add a little side story as to why he's hidden on Saboady - Maybe, why he visits the auction houses - why he lives most of his life on the ports and in bars drinking ;) Ponder that my friends. **

**BIGGEST THANKS to my peeps : AnimeKpop7, BloodyMoonEclyps, Trainer Azurite, Princessnicole, Okami!, whatcanpossiblygohere, Rinslayer :), Phantom Trainer, MysticWaterWolf, DarkAngelLida, OncepieceDoesExist, Sky65, Jisca, Angelrider13, m00nbunnie, goldenMelon, AnimeLover 3, Walking in the sea, parivo ozus11, Kiara97 :D, lilnightmare17, Shado2wolf and Fairy of the Friz.**

**Loving you awesome people - Hope I did not disappoint.**

**NEXT CHAPTER: Thoughts on what happened. And a little encounter between Shanks and the man who gave him those scars. **


	19. Chapter 19 - Wounded Memories

**Hey there everyone :) Well it's time. And a day early too! Yay for me. **

**Thanks for everyone who's stuck around and for everyone who reviews and gives me love. :D**

**Here we go!**

* * *

_**"It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was."**_

* * *

Thatch stood back and watched as the scene before him unfolded. He was bombarded with so much information he thought he might have to sit down. He watched as his girl was in the arms of another, someone who was actually related to her by blood. Someone who had gone so many years with the thoughts of her dead.

He could never imagine feeling like that. Knowing now that, that person was alive. But more even so the life she had led up until now. He never wanted to imagine it.

He felt a small smile make its way onto his face when he saw them together, she was happy. And he was happy for her, but he wasn't for himself. He knew he was being selfish but he didn't want to lose her. He didn't want any of his wolf pack to leave them. But now Shanks was more than just a friend, he was her family, her uncle. He couldn't compete with that, he was going to lose them all to him.

And there wasn't anything he could say or do to change their minds. Before, he had thought he could somehow convince them to stay, convince Pop's to make them stay for their own safety, but now, how could he compete with blood family?

The two crews had made their way into the Moby Dick's galley and were being surrounded with a feast worthy of the kings. He stayed back in the corner of the room and watched over the four as they sat with his Pops and Shanks. He listened carefully as the last of her list of questions were answered from the top of the list all the way to the bottom. He kept note that her birthday was coming up in the next few months, he would have to find some way to send her gifts every year.

"How you doing?" he didn't need to turn his head to know that Lyon had mimicked his position next to him.

"Fine," he grumbled looking at Flick sitting on her Uncle's lap reaching for her next piece of meat with a content smile on her face.

"Bullshit, why aren't you over there." Lyon pushed off the wall and stood in front of him.

"She doesn't need us anymore, she has some of her memories back and she has her true fami-" he was cut off by a punch to the shoulder.

"You finish that sentence, and you and I are going to have some serious issues there mate. That girl there, she adores you. Just because her uncle has reappeared in her life, does not mean that Pops is no longer her Papa, or you are no longer her guardian. She will never, not, need you in her life, do you understand me." Lyon poked at his chest and finally he nodded.

"You are the one she still feels the safest around. Even Pops can't out do you on that department." Lyon laughed. "She seeks you out when she's tired, or when she wants to cuddle. She seeks you when she wants to play jokes on her brothers, or wants someone to test her food. She seeks you out, no one else."

"Am I a horrible person if I say I don't want her to go with him?" Thatch sighed looking at her smile.

"No, it means you're human."

* * *

"And then we had this huge snow ball fight, and me and Flick beat everyone." Luffy beamed sitting opposite Shanks. He was telling story after story to Shanks and his crew.

"Yeah, well you two cheated." Ace grumbled picking at his dinner.

"You started it," Octavia snapped back with a smile. She liked having one thing over her brother's head, even if it was something as small as a snow ball fight. She had hit them several times, but they weren't able to hit her or Luffy once.

"Shut up," he poked his tongue out at her.

Octavia was about to say something when a huge yawn broke out silencing everyone around her. Looking out the galley window she noticed the moon was high in the sky and the stars were all out.

"Time for bed," her father announced at the head of their table.

"Do we have too?" Luffy groaned but hid his own yawn.

"Yes."

"We will still be here in the morning Anchor." Shanks laughed ruffling his hair.

"Can we go fishing tomorrow? Last time I caught a seaking!" Luffy's sudden depression had disappeared and was filled with excitement for tomorrow.

"Sure thing kiddo." Shanks lifted Octavia off his lap and placed her on the ground beside him.

"Good night, Little Red." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she felt her blush rise to her cheeks.

"Good night, Uncle Red." She smiled and then appeared on her father's shoulder.

"Good night, Papa." She pressed a kiss into his cheek before searching for her guardian. He would always be there to herd them off to bed. Glancing around the galley she found him in the back corner looking at her. Holding out her hand she gave him her small signal before appearing in his awaiting arms.

"I was looking for you," she whispered as she was pulled into his chest.

"I was right here, Princess." He twisted her around to sit on his back. "Bedtime?" he asked feeling her face nuzzle in between his shoulder blades. He didn't want to admit it but she was getting bigger every day, and soon enough he might not be able to carry her around as much as he wanted to.

"Yep," she yawned but clung onto him.

Octavia was overwhelmed with the last twenty-four hours. She had been given so much to think about and at the moment she didn't want to think about any of it. She buried her face into Thatch's back and sighed feeling his calming scent wash over her. She was happy that she had gotten some of her memories back and her uncle, but a small part of her didn't want to know the information she had heard.

The information was both good and bad.

A lot of bad.

She knew exactly why the World Government wanted her. Why they killed her entire family and friends to find her. The blood that ran through her body and the people that her family associated with was the reasons why.

"Here you go Princess," she felt Thatch's hands reach around and pull her from his back. She was placed onto her bed and she looked up at him. He was her rock. He grounded her and brought her back to the present instead of the world that her mind conjured up.

"Thatch," she called as he was about to leave.

"What is it Turtle?" he knelt down at the edge of her bed and ran his hand through her hair.

"Can you stay?" she whispered. Her brothers were still saying goodnight to the others in the galley and she didn't want to be alone right now. She wanted to be with her family, she wanted them to tell her that everything would be alright.

"Scoot over," he pulled up her blanket and sat up against her pillows. And then she was laying on his warm chest with his arms wrapped around her. This is what she needed.

"Do you want to talk about today?" he whispered down to her as his hand continued to thread through her hair.

"Not yet," she let her eyes close and she was content with hearing his heart beat beneath his chest and feeling his hands run through her hair.

"Alright," Thatch whispered and started to hum the lullaby's that he would always hum to her when she was scared. "Whenever you're ready Princess." He pressed a kiss into her hair and ignored the small trail of tears that ran down her face.

He knew that she had been putting on a brave face for the whole evening, and if he knew her like he thought he knew her, she needed to be alone to let everything come out, she needed time to let everything sink in. He was just glad he was with her when that happened.

* * *

Sabo wasn't sure how to take the events that happened today. He kept back as much as possible and watched over his brothers and sister. He listened to everything that was said to her or to them, and he waited until later to make his judgement. He needed all the facts and observations first.

Namur had always told him that knowledge was power, the more information you had the better judgement you could make. He said that someone who was observant, would learn more about a person by watching, and not talking to them. People lied, people hid the truths about themselves, but they couldn't stop the subtle actions of their body. The tells of a person.

He didn't say that he completely trusted Shanks and his crew, but he could see it happening. There was one thing he did know, and that was the love that Shanks had for his crew, and for Luffy and Flick. He could see it in the way he would give them his entire attention, or the small gestures he would make. And for Luffy it was shifting his plate closer to the boy without even glancing at him, or the ruffling of his hair, or even patting his old hat.

Shanks adored Luffy almost as much as Luffy adored him.

His eyes moved over to his Pops, and watched him watching them. He was a smart man. He trusted Whitebeard with more than just his life, he trusted him with the life of his siblings and that was saying something. He had yet to trust a single person in this world with his siblings, other than maybe Makino or Dadan, but even then, he knew that they were no match for what was after them. So he would trust the man and his ability to keep them all safe.

He wouldn't let them go with Shanks unless he was certain that it was safe to do so. And now that the entire crew knew exactly why Flick was being hunted by the world government, they were all more guarded about where she would be going, and who she will be seeing. There wasn't a single person on board this ship that would let her be taken by those monsters again.

He looked to Ace and saw him enjoying himself amongst the table of commanders and Shanks' crew. But often he would see his brother's eyes dart to his, and they were both on the same thought path. The age old rule they were born with, never let your guard down, was back and working in full force.

To be honest with himself, Sabo didn't want to leave the Moby Dick. He didn't want to leave the family he had found, or had found them. He didn't want to leave Namur, or the other guardians after everything they had already been through in such a short amount of time. He was accepted by these people and loved and cared for, and he wanted to return that one day. He had brothers and a sister and they were safe and free.

What more could he want right now?

Looking at the other pirates from Shanks' crew he didn't know any of them. He didn't want to get to know them the way he knew their commanders. He finally built a solid friendship with Namur and he didn't want to lose that.

Flick had finally started to sleep through a whole night and Luffy wouldn't wake up screaming in the middle of every night and cling to them for the rest of the day. His youngest brother was happy.

They were all happy.

But he knew that he would follow his brothers and sister to the ends of the earth. If they wanted to go with Shanks and his crew, than he would be going too. And with the look on Luffy's face and now the knowledge of Flick's family, he knew that it would be only a matter of time before they were moving ships.

So for now he was going to make the most of the time he had left with the Whitebeard family.

He looked to Namur who had moved towards him. Flick and Thatch had already left for bed and now he watched as Izo tried to pry Luffy away from his idol.

"Ready kiddo," Namur asked and he nodded. Hopping down off his chair and waved a quick goodbye to his Pops before following Namur out of the Galley. There was a familiar silence in the air, it lasted long enough for them to walk beyond anyone's hearing and then he sighed.

"How you holding up?" Namur asked glancing down at the blonde boy beside him. He had been watching over Sabo for the whole night and he knew that his little mind was calculating everything that he saw and heard; he was proud to that they he would make a fantastic tactician one of these days.

"I'm not sure," Sabo spoke honestly. He had glanced around the empty hallways before speaking, this kind of conversation was only for his guardian's ears only. Someone he knew wouldn't judge him for his thought process, someone who let him speak and then tried to help him understand what and why he was thinking these things.

"He's family to Flick and Luffy." He rattled a fact.

"Which would make him your family soon then," Namur added not liking the words that rolled off his tongue so easily. But he knew it would be true, the four of them were a family and anyone who was an extension of that, automatically found a way into their circle of trust.

"Probably." Sabo sighed. "But I already have a family, here." He spoke looking at the floor trying to stop the blush that rose to his cheeks. He had definitely thought of the Whitebeard crew as his family and he thought of Whitebeard himself as his Pops, but he had never voiced it so much before. Never to Namur directly either.

"That you do brat," Namur smiled widely, "and we're not going anywhere you know that right, whether you're on the other side of the world. You four will always be the Whitebeard Wolfpack. You will always have a place with us." He placed his hand on the boys head and ruffled his blonde locks. Ever since that little arena match, the four of them had been officially dubbed as the Whitebeard Wolfpack, and even members of the crew were referring to them as their own Wolfpack now.

"Maybe we should get that tattooed on our foreheads," Sabo joked already knowing that more than half of their belongings had some form of representation of the Whitebeard symbol or the Wolfpack words on their stuff. Izo had taken it upon himself to make sure that they never forgot.

"Don't mention that to anyone else," Namur laughed knowing that his brothers would jump at the chance to brand the brats as their own. If it meant that someone so much as looked at them, they would instantly feel fear. "Maybe it's not a bad idea." He mumbled to himself.

"Isn't Shanks the coolest ever."

Glancing over his shoulder he saw Luffy being carried under Izo's arm. No doubt it was the only way he was going to be removed from the still flowing food and Shanks.

"He's fine," Ace grumbled following behind them with Marco beside him.

"And he's Flick's uncle! And she's our sister so that makes him our uncle too right?" Luffy pieced little bits together causing Ace to roll his eyes. And right there was when Sabo new that Shanks was now officially in their circle, and he wasn't too sure how he felt about that. Not yet anyways.

"Calm down Luffy, it's bed time." Marco interjected earning a small smile from Ace.

"This is going to be so cool," Luffy grinned following the rest of them down the hallway.

"You have to be quite now Luffy, Flick's probably asleep already." Namur spoke stopping at their bedroom door. Luffy stopped halfway through his laugh and slapped his hand over his mouth.

Sabo opened the door and slid inside the lightly lit room. He could see the candle beside her bed was still lit and Thatch was in her bed. But what he saw on her face made his insides churn. Her hands were gripping his shirt like her life depended on it, and her cheeks were stained with tears that had dried.

"Come on," he grabbed Luffy's hand and dragged him to his bed. He knew that his youngest brother was always one to react to others displays of emotion. Looking at his sister's teared filled face was enough to sober up even Luffy.

Climbing under the covers, they bid a silent goodnight to their guardians.

Ace climbed into his own bed but turned to face them.

"Flick's sad," Luffy whispered knowing that he had to keep quiet.

"A lot has happened today Lu," Sabo tried to explain. He wrapped his arm around his brother and felt him lean into his touch. Luffy always needed some form of contact when he was sad.

"Shanks is her Uncle." Luffy stated trying to find a reason why his sister was so upset. He thought she would be happy seeing him again. She was laughing and smiling during dinner and listening to everything that Shanks was talking about. She was happy.

"It's not that simple sometimes, Lu." Ace answered him but he didn't understand. They were family.

"Get some sleep," Sabo spoke out for all of them. This wasn't the time to be having this conversation and they last thing they wanted was to wake up Flick.

Sighing Luffy snuggled into his brother and let his eyes close.

* * *

Ace could not sleep.

His eyes stayed on his sister who was sleeping on the other side of the room. He didn't want them to leave with Shanks. Even knowing that he was in fact her uncle, it made no difference to his opinion what so ever. She was safe here. She had found a place here, they all had found a place here in this family.

He didn't care who her father was, or who her mother was or that her grandfather was first mate to that man. None of that mattered. What mattered to him was her, and her alone. Nothing anyone told him would change that.

He knew the moment she left the Whitebeard Pirates that her nightmares would reappear, the dark circles under her eyes would come back and so would her shield. He couldn't remember the last time her shield had come out from a nightmare, or a loud bang that frightened her. She felt safe aboard the Moby Dick. She was safe here.

He knew that Shanks would never let anything happen to them, now he knew that, but this was different.

He didn't know how he felt about the whole thing. Three months ago he was ecstatic at the thought that someone honest, someone they knew, was coming for them. Shanks was their lifeboat that they were clinging to so desperately. But then they got to know the Whitebeard crew. Now he wished that he never suggested to make that call to Shanks.

* * *

Octavia woke up feeling warm. She could still hear the soft heart beat below her and the warm arms that were still wrapped around her. Lifting her head she looked up at her guardian who hadn't left her the entire night.

"Morning Princess," he whispered and she felt his hand back to her hair.

"Morning," she whispered letting her head fall back onto his chest she grimaced as the small wet patch where her cheek now lay, she hoped that it was from her tears last night.

She didn't want to get up today. She wanted to stay in her room with her brothers and Thatch and avoid the world. She wanted to avoid the list of answers she had on her bedside table.

Everything was coming back to her now. The day before and the information she had heard about her mother and father, and everything they had done to try and protect her. They gave their lives so that she could try and have a normal life without being hunted.

And now she had that life. She found a family of her very own, she found a large dysfunctional family filled with monsters like her, but they were her monsters, they were her family.

"We should get up," Thatch whispered breaking her from her bubble.

"I know," she turned her head and saw her brothers slowly waking up. She noticed that they all were curled up on Sabo's bed. She locked eyes with Sabo and she felt his firm eyes on her. She wanted to speak with them, she wanted to know what they were thinking. But most of all she wanted them to tell her what to do next.

"How about you four get ready, and I'll see you in the galley?" Thatch pressed a kiss into her forehead and left the room.

She shuffled backwards on her bed until she was sitting up against her pillows, her blanket pulled up around her shoulders and she pulled her knees to her chest. Her hands moved to the two pendants that hung low around her neck.

Her fingers brushed across the small silver heart locket, she opened it and stared at the two photos that stared back at her. Her mother. She missed her so much, and now she knew how much her parents had fought for her made her miss them even more. She wanted them back.

"She's pretty," Luffy crawled into her bed and leant in over her arm to look at the photo in her hands.

"She is," she whispered looking at her mother's long pink hair. Her eyes were soft as they stared down at the baby in her arms. She knew her mother loved her.

"Are you sad?" Luffy peeked over her arm and looked up at her. He could still see how her eyes were rimmed with redness from the night before. He didn't like it when she was sad.

"I'm alright." She wrapped her arm around him and he leant into her side. He didn't know why she was lying to him. He knew that she wasn't happy. People didn't cry when they were happy, people cried when they were sad or hurt.

"We're here," Ace slid under the covers on her other side and looked over her shoulder.

"What do I do?" She whispered letting her head fall onto Ace's shoulder. He had told yesterday what to do, and now she was begging him to do it again.

"Flick," he whispered pulling her into his arms. Sabo came over and sat in front of them, his hands automatically searching for hers.

"We can't tell you that," Sabo said with a sigh. He wished he had all the answers for her but they didn't. They couldn't even imagine what she was going through right now, or the emotions that was running through her mind at the moment. How could they?

"He's your uncle," Ace stated trying to open the conversation. He knew that she had yet to speak about what happened yesterday and about everything she had learnt.

"Yes," she nodded but kept her head buried into his shoulder.

"Did you want to see him again?" Ace asked, not even trying to ease into the elephant in the room.

"Yes, I think so. No I do. I'm just - confused." She paused to think of her answer but she spoke the truth. Yesterday her plan was to ask the questions she wanted, as a person, not as his niece, in order to know more about her past and why the World Government were after her, and she knows why now.

She didn't know how to act around him. She didn't know how to be the niece that he remembered, or the young girl she partially remembered being. Yesterday was different, it was the reminiscing and the celebrations. But today, and the next day, and the next week?

How would he respond to her now? How will he react to her distance, or the fear she still had with new people or with loud noises. Or her fear of darkness? She wasn't the same little girl that he knew when she was younger. She was changed now.

Would he be disappointed in the person she was today?

What if he didn't like her now?

Luffy sat next to his siblings and stared at his sister. He wanted to tell them that Shanks was a good guy, that he would never hurt them. That he was a friend. But they knew that. They all knew that Shanks was a good guy and how honourable he was. But this was different now. This meant more than if he was just a good guy.

The entire Whitebeard crew were good guys, yet it took them months before they could trust them. Even now he knew that his sister didn't trust all of the pirates on board. She trusted the guardians and Pops but everyone else she was still nervous around.

He could always tell when her hand would creep towards him that she was nervous or scared. But now it had lessened, she was trusting the crew more and more every day.

But he knew that she didn't trust Shanks' crew yet. She had only just remembered them a day ago.

She didn't know them anymore.

She had remembered most of the times that they shared together in her past, but it was a long time ago and a lot had happened since then. He wished that he could tell her that she could trust them. But he knew that no matter what he said it couldn't change the way she felt. Fear was too powerful.

He looked over at the four half packed bags in the corner of their room and sighed. They were leaving the Whitebeard Pirates the next day and going with Shanks and their crew. He would miss everyone here, and his guardians, but he was excited to be going too. It was what he wanted when he was a kid, he wanted to be on a ship sailing the ocean with Shanks.

"Breakfast?" he whispered to his sister. He always felt better after eating something.

"Sure thing Lu," she ruffled his hair and pressed a kiss into his forehead. He beam at her, he loved it when she would kiss him good morning, or run her hands through his hair. It reminded him of Makino and the things she would do back when he was little.

Octavia and her brothers got dressed for the day and avoided saying another word about Shanks or her decisions on what to do. Pulling her jumper over her head she waited for her brothers to finish getting ready. She played with the two necklaces that hung on the outside of her jacket and let them dangle down onto her chest. Two pieces of her past were right there. Two pieces left of her family, of her mother and father.

"Come," Sabo held out his hand to her and she happily took it. She didn't want to be alone right now, and she knew that in her heart she wasn't alone and she never would be. But holding onto her brother's hand was what she truly needed right now.

The short walk to the galley seemed to feel like an endless corridor as she passed room by room. It never felt like this long before, her hand felt sweaty in-between hers and Sabo's.

By the time they reached the galley she let her eyes roam around the room until she found the people she was looking for. Letting go of Sabo's hand she gave him one last squeeze before disappearing from her spot. She reappeared on top of her father's shoulder and instantly felt his arm wrap around her body.

"Good morning my dear, how did you sleep?" he whispered pulling her down from his shoulder and into his chest.

"Fine," she whispered finding the warmest part of her father and snuggling in closer. She could tell that her guardians were sitting at the table around her, but right now she wanted to disappear and escape from the decisions she would need to be making soon.

"You should get something to eat, before your brothers eat everything." She shook her head. She wasn't hungry, and right now the bit of turmoil in her stomach was enough to keep food away.

"Shall we go have a talk?" she felt her head nod. "Alright, but you will eat something once we are done." Smiling against her father's shoulder she felt him stand up and head out of the galley.

Her head peaked over his large shoulder and she lifted her hand to Thatch. She wanted him there, she didn't want to be separated from him right now. His head lifted from his breakfast and it was quickly pushed away as he followed after them.

She soon found herself sitting on her father's bed with two dogs wrapped around her sniffing and licking her skin. She giggled feeling Ghost run under her arms and bound around her excitedly. He had grown so much since the last time she played with him. She reminded herself that it had been a few days since they had last played out up on the deck with his new ball. And with the last snowy island, they weren't allowed up on deck for too long.

"Octavia," she looked up at her father who sat down at the end of the bed. Ghost lost all interest in her and ran to the giant. Thatch closed the door behind them and took a seat behind her and she quickly found herself in his lap. Her hands moved his arms so they were wrapped around her like a cage.

"How are you feeling?" She looked up at her father and her small hint of happiness from her dogs disappearing.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered to the two men she valued most in this world.

"About what child?" he pressed. She took in a deep breath and let every single thought she was thinking run rapid from her mouth. She vented every single thought and feeling that was bottled up inside.

"What if he doesn't like me now? I keep remembering the times we used to play in the fields outside our house, or when we would run around the forests, all I can remember is laughing. But that's not me now." She finally let everything tumble out of her mind like a jumbled heap. "It's been so long, and I don't know how to be that person anymore, I don't know how to do any of that. What if he doesn't want me anymore, what if he leaves? What if when he hears about everything that he leaves and doesn't want me anymore." She rushed out and felt her tears bubble to the surface along with her tears.

She didn't want her uncle knowing what she had been through, she didn't want him to know what she had done, what she had be forced to do in order to survive. She didn't want him to know that she had killed a man. Killed a man without even blinking.

"Shanks loves you child. He would never leave you like that." Thatch whispered from behind her and she buried her face into his sleeves.

"But what if he hates me?" She whispered letting the dark thoughts run through her mind. She tried to keep the darkness away, tried to push it back with her own truths but it wasn't working.

"Why would he hate you?" Tears flowed down her cheeks as her arms wrapped around her legs. She didn't want to remember everything.

She didn't want to remember the guard's body as she sliced the glass over his throat, she didn't want to remember the warmth of his blood as it coated her bare skin or the seconds that passed that took the man's life.

She didn't want to picture her mother fighting back against the marines that stormed their house. She didn't want to see her mother winning against them and then being forced to surrender. She wanted to block out the sound of her mother screaming for her to run out of her mind.

"It's my fault she's dead." Her voice trembled. "She was winning Papa, she was stopping them. She told me to run but I was too scared. I was too weak to save her. It's my fault she died." Her hand covered her mouth as a sob broke through her lips.

"No child." Whitebeard leant forwards and lifted her chin to face him.

"It's my fault. She had devil fruit powers and she could have won. Shanks said she was as strong as any marine and she yielded. She yielded because of me." She remembered everything now. Every move her mother did to force back the marines. She could remember the wind as it pierced through the air and pushed back wave after wave. She could have won.

"She died because of me."

"No Octavia."

"You are not to blame. You were not the one to kill her. She died to protect you." He spoke firmly but her tears kept rolling down her cheeks. "As any loving parent would do."

"You were a child, barely even that. Even if you did manage to run child, you would be no match for a fleet of admirals. You still would not be a match," he explained.

"It will always be those marine's faults. Not your mother's, not your father's, or your uncle's, and definitely not yours. It was the World Government that sent them after your family. They will be the ones to blame for everything that has happened to you and your family." She nodded and pushed herself from Thatch's arms and into his.

"I killed a man." She whispered that last fear she held buried deep inside. Her father's hands didn't falter as he brushed his fingers through her hair.

"I know." He pulled her back and he looked her directly in the eyes.

"You knew?" she asked in shock and looked to Thatch and she saw him nod slowly. They knew. They knew all this time and they still allowed her to stay here. They still loved her. Still protected her.

"What you did, you did to survive. Not a single person in this world would ever fault you for that. Not one. You did not kill for sport, or for fun. You did it to save your brothers lives, to save your own life. That is nothing to be ashamed of." Her father spoke and she felt a little better, but that thought, and those images would forever be with her. She knew if she didn't do it, that they would all be dead if not worse.

"Now shall we go through your list?" Whitebeard pulled out her piece of paper from the day before and sat it in front of her. There were dozens of questions that had all been answered and she was so grateful for that. But she still didn't know how to process half of the information that she had been given.

"Do you really think my shield is from my mother?" she asked looking up at her father.

"I believe that your power is your mother's will. Your mother would have done anything in the world to protect you, and I believe, that maybe your mother knew that she may not be with you forever to protect you, so her love for you, and her will, gave you part of herself to help you protect yourself." She looked up at her father and felt a sadness build up in her. Her mother knew? She knew something would happen to her?

"I miss her," she whispered the words she had kept so close to her heart for so long. She missed her mother terrible. She missed the father she had only heard stories about, she missed the family she could have once had. But now she knew that a part of her mother was with her, more than just her spirit was uplifting.

"She will always be with you child, as well as your father." Whitebeard wiped her cheeks and she quickly grasped his hand.

"You're my father too." She spoke looking up at him desperately. She didn't want to lose him now they all knew who her biological father was. She could have two, she would have two fathers.

"And I will always be your father."

"Good." She smirked feeling better. Her eyes roamed over the piece of paper and looked at the answers that were briefly written down next to each question.

"Warp Warp fruit," she mumbled reading the name of her devil fruit she had eaten. She wasn't sure she liked the true name of her power. She had grown quite attached to her given name.

"Flick Flick fruit sounds just as powerful." Thatch added with a smirk.

"I think I'll keep it, after all, Tatsumi was the one to name my power." She whispered thinking back to her friend and to the man that she owed her life too. Without him, she was sure she and her brothers would be dead, if not, they would be somewhere in the world wishing for death. She hadn't thought about him in for so long. She wondered where he was right now, and if he was safe. She wondered if Trai was with him still, or if they separated after they escaped.

"Papa," she spoke after the long silence. She looked to her father and then to Thatch who nodded.

"I don't want to change." She spoke not really sure how to say what she was feeling.

"Change?" Thatch asked slightly confused.

"Now that I know who I'm supposed to be, who I am. What blood I have. It doesn't change me does it?" she asked trying to explain. "I don't want to be just the granddaughter of Rayleigh, or just the niece of Red haired Shanks. I want to me. I want to still be Flick." She looked to Thatch who had held his arms out to her. Crawling from her father's arms and to her guardians she felt a little better at his warm smile.

"You will always be Flick, you will always be our Octavia." Thatch spoke and with a small laugh he added his own contribution. "And my little turtle, short stuff, little peanut and my favourite Princess." She laughed and pressed her face into his chest and hugged him back.

Thatch felt his heart sore with his little girl in his arms. He was glad to see her signal for him to follow her and Pops for this little debrief. But, he knew her past now, he knew the blood that ran through her very veins, and so did the World Government. It would only take so long until the whole world knew of her and then there would be no hiding it. No hiding the family she had come from, or the men she had come from.

She will be expected to do the impossible, she will be treated as a monster in the battlefield just because of her blood. He only hoped that they could prevent this from happening for as long as possible. He would keep her origins a secret for as long as possible, and so would the very few selected people who knew about this.

The guardians would never break this oath of silence, and neither would Shanks' crew.

"I think it's time for you to eat that breakfast now." She grinned up at her father as she felt the first peace of mind since the revealing of her past. She felt better about most of it.

* * *

Shanks stood at the back of the Moby Dick with his elbows leaning against the wooden railing as he looked at the sea behind him. His hands were gripping onto the small black piece of paper Marco had given to him that morning. Over breakfast he all but demanded to know every single detail regarding his niece and the boys and when they had arrived.

He directed every one of his questions to the first commander and Marco reluctantly but eventually gave him the details that he regretted asking. He felt his breakfast slowly coming up at the mention of the torture they had all been through and the medical reports that he was shown.

He felt sick knowing his niece's sickening fear of the dark and being blinded.

But seeing the wanted poster in his hands brought on a new level of rage he never thought he would reach again. He wanted to tear the poster into a thousand pieces and burn the thing until there was nothing left. The image of his innocent, beautiful niece being chained up and abused would forever haunt his mind, it now outweighed the image of the two burnt bodies back at their home.

But she was here.

She was alive.

She had been alive all this time.

He watched as she smiled and laughed with her now proclaimed brothers. He watched the bond that those four children had created when the world had all but given up on them. They found each other and saved each other, and even to this day, he could see that there was nothing in the world that would break that bond.

He realised in that moment that he had all by acquired another two boys to call his own. Luffy was already a part of his precious circle, but now he had two more, Ace and Sabo were just two more names added to his list to protect with his life.

Those four were going to be a force to be reckoned with. He could see the looks in both Ace and Sabo's eyes that not a single thing was going to get past their defence and touch the youngest two. He owed a lot to those three boys, he knew they were a huge part of his niece being the way she was compared to the reports that Marco gave of her from three months ago.

He swore to find out who was behind this attack.

He would find out who was the main force hunting his niece and he would destroy them. He didn't even need to speak the words to Whitebeard, to know that the old man was right on board with him. Screw the world and screw the World Government, nothing was going to stop them now.

A small smile graced his lips as he looked up to the sky, he knew his sister and his best friend would be looking down with happiness today. They were finally reunited. He would protect her now more than anything. Their little girl was happy now, she was going to grow up happy and surrounded by people who loved her and cared for her.

_Lisara, you always wanted more kids. You now have three more brats to watch over._

He smirked knowing that his sister would have dragged those three boys into her care with one look at them, even if they didn't want it, they would have received her care regardless.

A shiver ran up his spine and he threw out his senses.

His smile disappeared and it turned to a scowl. Turning his head over his shoulder he could see that man lurking in the shadows beside the mast.

"Teach." Shanks growled and his hand moved to his hip where a set of pistol were resting. He promised peace when his crew walked aboard this ship, but that would change in an instant if that man so much as looked at him funny.

"Shanks." Teach stepped out from the shadows and leant against the mast with an all too smug smile on his face. He knew right now that he was in safe territory, there wasn't much Shanks could do to him without leading to incredible backlash.

Things were fragile as it was already with the two crews and with the information being on lock down. Only the trusted heard the stories and they were sworn to secrecy. But that didn't stop the rest of the crew members to be suspicious of each other. Everyone had heard his announcement of being Octavia's uncle when he had first arrived, but the rest of their complicated history, was a secret.

"Beautiful day we're having isn't it." Teach smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was trying to look intimidating.

"You could say that." Shanks eyed him off. What was he doing here, why would he purposely come to face him off with no one around. What did he want?

"Such a beautiful time for reunions," he gleamed as Shanks' hand gripped onto his pistol tighter. He was antagonising him, and on purpose too. For that man to purposely bring up anything to do with his niece or with Luffy was a warrant for death.

"Do you have a death wish, Blackbeard?" Shanks finally took the upper hand of this encounter and saw the man's eyes filled with rage.

No one called him that. No one knew of the name he would one day scream from the top. Teach growled and fought with his instincts to lash out at the red haired man. Those two redheads were going to be the death of him. They annoyed him to know end. It made sense to him now, why he hated those two. They were related. That much he knew.

But the rest of the story, he had no clue.

But he will find out.

He will find out what secrets are hidden between the two crews and he would use it.

"Touch a single hair on those four and I will kill you." Shanks threatened not bothering to dance around the subject at all with this monster. His scar on his face seemed to burn just in the mere presence of this fraud.

He knew what this man was wanting to become. He could see the lengths that he would go to get what he wanted. He had warned Whitebeard once upon a time about the men who let join his _family_ so easily. And now, he wanted nothing more than to throw him overboard and let him sink.

"Have a good day, Shanks." Teach laughed and disappeared from the deck.

A growl rippled through his chest as he turned back to the water. There wasn't much he could do right now. But in a few days, they would be leaving and he would put as much distance between his niece and that man as possible.

* * *

_**'Evil is unspectacular, and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our table.'**_

* * *

**Well that was it... What do you think?**

**Hope that cleared a bit up for some of you, FLICK WILL NOT BE OVERPOWERED. Can't stress this enough. **

**How was Shanks and Teach. 0o0o0o0o0 hahah**

**Anyway - Bad news here - My weekly updates will be pushed to biweeky for the next 4 updates. EUROPE BABY! **

**Thanks again for everyone who reviewed :D**

**Phantom Trainer, RinSlayer, goldenMelon, DarkAngelLida, guesty 1 and 2 are you the same guests each week?- Chibi-no-baka, Lilnightmare17, bibliophile030, Trainer Azurite, theheartspath, Walking in the sea.**

**Love you lovely's.**

**Next Up: Luffy retells his story to Shanks. Flash back to Dawn Island and when Sabo, Ace and Luffy were captured. **


	20. Chapter 20 - Dawn Island

**GRREETINGS FROM THE PAST! HAHA**

**Well, kind of. I think I should be somewhere in Greece at the moment... Depends when I get internet to upload this prewritten awesome chapter. Now this is the one I've been waiting for. **

**Thanks for everyone who's reviewed and sent me love! **

* * *

_**'Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn. My God, do you learn.'**_

* * *

Luffy was sitting at his favourite spot looking out at the sea in front of him. He had finished his breakfast in record time and even managed to grab an extra plate. The cooks had prepared a monstrous feast for two crews worth and it was more than enough for everyone to have seconds, and for him to have thirds even. Grinning to himself he remembered the huge stack of meat that was on his table for him and his brothers.

But not Flick.

She didn't eat with them today.

He was sad to see her so sad.

She always sat with them during meals. Even when she would disappear, she would always come back when food was served. It was their thing.

He sighed and looked out at the open water in front of him. All morning he could see his brothers thinking about everything that happened yesterday. And even when he tried to start a conversation or steal food from them, they didn't stop him or say anything. That was weird.

"If you think too hard you're going to hurt yourself Anchor," looking over his shoulder he saw Shanks leaning against the railing behind him.

"Shut up," he smiled before looking back at the open water. He was happy to have his friend here. Even happier knowing that they were going to be living on Red Force from now on. He had dreamed for so many years when he was younger of being on Shanks crew, and now he was and with his brothers and Flick too, it just made it all the better.

But his siblings weren't as happy as they were months ago when it was decided.

"What are you thinking about?" Shanks sat down next to him.

"Nothing," he mumbled pulling his hat down over his eyes. He didn't want him to see him like this. He always claimed that he was brave enough for anything, brave enough to even take on him, he was going to be the Pirate's King, and he was going to be the strongest and bravest man alive. But right now he didn't feel strong, he didn't feel very brave.

He was weak.

He was always too scared.

He was always the cry-baby.

They both sat in silence, just looking out at the open water in front of them. Just in the distance he could see a small speck, the island that they were going to stop at before they parted ways. The island that they were going to leave the Whitebeard crew and join Shanks.

"Shanks," he whispered pulling his hat off his head. His fingers clenched into the straw rim.

"What is it Luffy?" Shanks spoke softly looking down at the quiet boy beside him. Without saying anything Luffy pushed his hand up with his straw hat in the air.

"Luffy?" Shanks questioned but he pressed the hat in his hands.

"I don't deserve it anymore." Luffy mumbled lowering his head.

"What are you talking about Anchor, you haven't for filled that promise yet." Shanks placed the hat back on his head.

"But I'm not strong enough. I'm not good enough Shanks." He wailed looking up at him which caused Shanks to laugh.

"You will be Luffy, you have so many years to get stronger. And being good enough? Let me decide that, alright. Being the Pirate King is going to be hard work." Shanks pulled the crying boy into his lap and let him sob into his chest.

"Don't tell me you've given up already," Shanks ruffled the boy's hair and felt him shake his head against his chest. Shanks knew that today was the day emotions were going to be tested. He knew that today was the day that he was going to hear the full story as to why they were on board with Whitebeard. He knew the key points, but now he needed to hear it from Luffy.

"I can't be the Pirate King anymore," Luffy whimpered.

"What happened Luffy?" Shanks tried to hold back the anger that bubbled in his chest. Someone had managed to destroy the boys dream.

"I don't want to remember." Luffy whimpered and buried his face away from Shanks. He didn't want to recall his last happy moments on his home island, he didn't want to tell it.

"It's just you and me here buddy, no one else." Shanks lifted his chin with his hand and wiped the tears that fell from his eyes.

"Please tell me," Shanks whispered, almost begging to know. He had to know who to add to his shit list. Who was he going to hunt down to the ends of the world to destroy. No one touched his precious people, and they definitely did not get away with destroying their dreams.

"It started with the fire at Grey Terminal. Ace and Dadan were fighting Blue Jam and Dogra took me back to the hideout." Luffy took a deep breath and recalled what happened all those days ago.

_'Luffy, you need to rest.' Dogra pushed him back down onto his bed and he tried to hold back the pain that flooded through his body. He needed to get up. He needed to find Ace. _

_'Ace,' he whimpered when his body gave in and slumped back onto the small bed. He let his arm fall over is face to hide the tears that were rolling down his face. He wanted his brother back. He wanted him here with him._

_'Boss will win, they'll both come back, together. You'll see.' Dogra spoke but everyone in the room could hear the hesitation in his voice. _

_Luffy stayed in his assigned bed until everyone around him had fallen asleep. It had been two days since the fire in Grey Terminal and he was starting to get some of his strength back, or at least the pain was disappearing if only by a little. He knew what he needed to do. He had to find his brother. They had never been separated for this long before, and he knew something was wrong. _

_The sun was slowly rising in the sky and he knew that he wouldn't be able to escape during the day. Closing his eyes he drifted back off to sleep. When night came he would run. He would run as far as he could and find his brother and bring him back home. _

* * *

_Shadows danced around in his dreams. He could see Ace and Sabo sitting on the cliff at their favourite spot, their pipes were leaning against their sides as they looked out onto the horizon. The sea was their dreams. They each wanted to go there and live the rest of their lives in complete freedom. _

_'Ace, Sabo.' Luffy called out running towards his brothers. His arms waving rapidly as they came closer and closer. They were here. They were both here._

_'You were too late Luffy,' Sabo spoke and slowly turned around. He froze looking at his injured brother. His face was covered in cuts and bruises, blood ran down from his nose and mouth. _

_'Sabo,' he whispered taking a small step forwards. He could see purple splotches forming on his arms and legs right before his eyes. 'Sabo what's happening!' he screeched running forwards, he could see new cuts and slices ripping open on his brother's skin. Blood poured from the new wounds and ran down his paling skin and onto the grass below them. _

_'You could have saved us,' he turned and looked to Ace who was looking no better. His entire body was covered in ash and dried blood. Blood dripped from his eyes and the corner of his mouth. _

_'You were too late Luffy.' Sabo added and he felt his entire body start to tremble. _

_'Too late, too late for what?' Luffy begged. His brothers turned back to face the ocean as the sky grew dark. The clouds pooled around them and the rain began to pound down on top of them. _

_'Too late for what!' he screamed over the storm above him. Shadows began to dance around them. _

_'Ace, Sabo.' He screamed as the shadows began to consume them. _

_'No come back! Don't leave me!' he screamed trying to search the darkness for his brothers. _

_'Ace, Sabo!' Luffy bolted up right and his hand gripped onto his bandaged chest. His eyes roamed around the room and he could hear the thunder pounding above him. Lightning lit up the sky above him and he could see his room was empty. _

_It was a dream._

_It was just a dream. _

_But he was still alone. _

_Thunder pounded above him as he lifted the sprawled out blanket off his legs and pushed his body to stand up. He ignored the pain that erupted over his body and leant against the wall to support him. Picking up his hat he placed it over his head and shuffled towards the door. _

_He was going to escape._

_He was going to find his brothers. _

_He wasn't going to be late this time. _

_He would never be late again. _

_Luffy ran. _

_He ran as fast as he could towards the dark grey smoke that still lingered in the sky above grey terminal. He had been to that junk yard so many times, he knew how to get there, even in the middle of the night with a storm raging above him. He knew at which rock to turn, and which bush to jump over. He knew. He just knew. _

_The sun began to rise above the mountains, which pushed him to move his legs faster. He knew that with every minute that past he could be late. Late for what, he wasn't sure, but late. _

_He slowed his pace when he heard the loud crowds of people forming ahead of him. He stayed in the forest, not wanting to reveal himself to the villagers. He was known to those people, they had stolen so much from them in the past and he didn't want to face them without his brothers beside him. _

_Climbing the largest tree he could find he crawled out onto the branch that overhung the wall. He remembered what his brothers had taught him, and he stayed silent. He made no sound what so ever. _

_His eyes widened at the amount of people he saw. As far as his eyes could see there were people everywhere. And the rich type of people, the people who were what Sabo called snobs. Looking over his shoulder he could see a whole area of what was left of Grey Terminal. There was no colour left, everything was black and grey. Everything was destroyed. _

_He whimpered thinking of Ace and Dadan. They had to have made it out. He believed in his brother. Ace would never lose. Ace couldn't lose. He was the strongest of them all and Sabo was the smartest of them all. _

_'The Tenryubito are here. They're finally here.' _

_A voice shouted out and he looked to where the man was pointing. He looked out at the ocean and saw the largest ship he had ever seen in his life. And it was coming straight for the island. _

_He could see the excitement of the snobs as the ship came closer and closer. He didn't know who the people coming were, but they seemed important. The close it came he started to make out the large symbol on the front sail. _

_They were a part of the government. That much he could tell. _

_And the government were not good people to him and his brothers. _

_'Oi, there's someone sailing out there!'_

_'Is that a fishing boat?'_

_The guards around the docks began to shout out towards the boat that was sailing in the direct path of the giant ship. His eyes squinted trying to see who was on the little boat. When a black sail caught his eyes. _

_A pirate's flag._

_But it was what was on the black flag that caused him to panic. A large S was written in blue writing. Sabo's colours. _

_Sabo's lettering. _

_Sabo._

_Pushing off his hidden branch he jumped down off the tree and began to run alongside the beach. Panic built up in him as he tried to chase after the boat. Sabo was leaving. Sabo was leaving him behind. Was Ace with him too?_

_'You were too late Luffy,' Dream Sabo's voice haunted his mind. He was too late, too late for what? He was leaving them. Sabo was leaving him. _

_Sprinting closer and closer to the boats his eyes widened in fear as an explosion erupted onto his brother's boat. _

_'Sabo!' he screamed and pushed his legs faster and faster. The ship seamed to stop and he finally made it directly opposite the fishing boat, but there was a mile of water between him and his brother. _

_'Sabo!' he screamed over and over again, trying to get his brother's attention. He could see him trying to blanket the flames with his bright blue jacket, but he could see the weapon pointing back towards him. _

_'Sabo jump!' he yelled as loud as he could and finally his brother locked eyes with him. Without glancing back Sabo reacted and launched himself off the burning boat. _

_The blast sent Luffy sailing backwards and he landed on his back and skidded along the gravel until his back hit a tree. Ignoring the pain he crawled towards the edge of the water and searched for his brother. _

_'Sabo!' he screamed over the roar of the crowd in the distance and then finally he spotted something blue in the water. Standing to his feet he quickly looked around for something, something to help save his brother who was floating in the water. _

_Tear welled in his eyes as not a single thing would help him. He was the one meant to be sinking on the ocean, not his brother. His brothers were always there to rescue him from the ocean. This was the first time in his life that he cursed his devil fruit powers. Without them, he could have swam out to sea and saved his brother, but now he couldn't put one toe in the water without being a burden._

_Think Luffy. Think._

_What would Sabo do?_

_What would Ace do?_

_Then he thought. _

_Standing up he wrapped one of his arms round and round a tree that was closest to him. Then he stood as close as he could to the water without touching it. Taking in a deep breath he stretched his right arm as far back as he could. His stretched hand pushed off tree after tree trying to stretch back as far as he had ever done before. He had to go back as far as he could. He had to build up enough power to stretch out so far. _

_Inch by inch he felt his body start to resist against the pain. But he had to go further, until he couldn't go any further. _

_His eyes kept watching his brother as he crashed against the incoming waves from the ship that kept moving past him like he was nothing. _

_'Now. Gomu Gomu Pistol!' _

_He shouted and let go of the tree he was gripping tightly. A loud ripping sound went past his ear and he saw his own hand flying past his face and heading out to the ocean. He prayed for it to be on target. He could feel his other twisted arm around the tree fighting with everything to keep it anchored. He couldn't let go of the tree. _

_He watched as his fist grew closer and closer to his brother. _

_'Sabo!' he screamed when his hand made contact with his brother's shirt. Gripping it with the fraction of a second he had he felt his arm start to snap back towards him. He braced himself as his brother came rushing towards him faster than he thought. They collided and he kept his arms wrapped around him and took in a large breath and blew up like a balloon. He could feel the trees that he crashed into try to burst at his skin but he didn't let go of his breath. _

_Finally they stopped rolling and he let go and returned to his normal form. His breathing pounded in his chest as he looked over his older brother. It was just like his dream. _

_There was blood everywhere. _

_'Sabo,' he whispered shaking his brother. Blood seeped from too many places on his face and arms. He could see the spots where his clothes had been burnt from the fire and melted into his skin. _

_'Sabo wake up,' he begged and looked back to the crowd of people. 'Please Sabo don't leave me.'_

_He needed help. _

_He needed a doctor. _

_He knew there would be a doctor among them. But he couldn't go there. No one would help them, no one had bothered to come help his brother when he was on fire. Why would they help him now?_

_'Don't leave me Sabo,' pushing to his knees he looked back to the forest he had run from. He needed to get back to the house. The others would know how to fix his brother. Ace would know how to fix their brother. All he had to do was get him to Ace, get him back to the hideout. _

_'I'll save you Sabo. I'll get you a doctor. Just don't die, okay.'_

_Lifting Sabo up by his arm he wrapped his arm around his stomach and headed back into the forest. He could hear the celebrations behind him growing louder even as he took more and more steps away from the docks. Those people didn't even care, they didn't care that his brother was hurt by those people. _

_He ran as fast as he could. But his brother was heavy and he was still sore. His fast footsteps were slowly moving to more a fast walk and then to a drag. Sweat pulled off every inch of his skin as he pushed through the jungle. _

_'Take it down!' _

_Loud yelling caused him to stop and quickly hide behind a large tree. There were never voices in their jungle. It was only ever them. He looked at his still sleeping brother and placed him on the ground and leant him up against the tree. He had to find out who was there, he had to know if it was someone helpful or an enemy. _

_'Stay,' he whispered to his brother before climbing through the shrubs. _

_He heard a loud familiar roar and he pressed his back against a tree and peaked around it. There was the Tiger King. His eyes roamed to the find the men who were trying to fight against the beast, but what he saw made his heart pound loudly in his chest. _

_Marines. _

_And they weren't his Grampa's marines. _

_He could see the same logo from that large ship on their shoulders. They were from the Government._

_Rushing back to his brother he ran in the opposite direction of the marines and in the opposite direction of the bandit's house. Tears ran down his cheeks. He wanted Ace. He wanted Sabo to wake up and tell him what to do. _

_'Sabo wake up. Please wake up.'_

_He didn't know how to save him. He didn't know where to go now. The marines were heading to the hideout. _

_Looking up at the sky that was slowly turning into night he ran faster. He could see a light in the distance and then it hit him. That light wasn't just a single light, it was a group of lights from his old village. _

_Foosha Village._

_Makino._

_She would help him. _

_She would save his brother._

_Rushing through the familiar streets he looked for the one place that he once called his home. Sticking to the back alleys he tried to think like Sabo. Sabo was smart. He knew how not to get caught. _

_The lights were beginning to turn off in the village as everyone started to go back to the homes and to bed. He saw the pub at the end of the road and he ran around the back of it. He knew there would still be people inside and he didn't know if some of them might tell on them. _

_He knew which room was his. He knew which room was always empty for him to come back too. Makino always told him that it was his, and his only. But it was on the second story. Putting Sabo down and let him lean up against the side of the pub his stretched his arms up high and clung onto the window frame. Pulling his body towards his hands he perched himself on the window like he had done mountains of times when we was a kid. _

_The window clicked open and a smile formed on his face. Finally something was going right for him. Pushing it up higher he jumped into the room and turned back to face the outside. Stretching his arms down he gripped onto his brother and gentle lifted him off the ground and towards the room. _

_He froze as they landed with a loud thud on the ground. Waiting for any kind of alarm or people racing up the stairs he pulled Sabo towards his bed and ripped off the sheets. _

_'You'll be okay now Sabo. I'll get Makino.' Once Sabo was safe and on his bed he crept outside of his room. He could hear the loud laughter of people down in the bar. But there was no one in the hallways. _

_Closing the door behind him he snuck along the corridor and down the set of stairs that led to the side of the bar. He could hear Makino's laugh as she listened to a man telling her a story. He rounded the corner on the stairs and he could see her now. _

_Tears flooded down his face as he watched her cleaning a glass mug. Something he had watched her do a thousand times in the past, but right now she was what he needed. He missed her more than anything. _

_A small sob broke from his lips and he quickly cupped his mouth to stop the sound form escaping. Makino's eyes flashed to his immediately and he hide himself around the corner._

_'Lu-' he heard her all but breathe his name before she stopped. _

_'Everyone out!' her voice pierced the noisy crowd and was met with silence. There was an eerie silence that plagued the level below him. He almost peaked around the corner to see if everyone was still there._

_'Makino what's wrong?' a voice asked and he heard the slamming of her hands down on her bar. _

_'I said get out. I'm closing for the night. Take your drinks with you but I'm closing up.' She ordered and he could hear the stools from the tables around the bar scrape against the floor as they all moved to leave. Finally when the last door slammed shut he peaked around the corner. _

_'Luffy!' she rushed towards him and he let go of everything he was holding in. _

_'Makino,' he pleaded as though his life depended on it. He wanted to rush towards her, to meet her sooner than the few second it took for her to reach him. But he couldn't move from his spot. Tears and sobs broke through and he wrapped his arms around her neck._

_'Makino,' he sobbed into her neck._

_'Oh god, what happened? Luffy are you alright?' she lifted him up and carried him towards his room. 'Are you hurt? What's hurting Luffy?'_

_'Sabo's hurt.' He wailed and he felt her quicken her pace. As soon as they were back in his room he was placed on the ground and she rushed to his brother. _

_'Sabo, lord what happened!' He watched as she ran around the room from the bathroom and back to Sabo's side. _

_'Will he be okay?' he whispered the words he didn't want to. He didn't want to hear the answer, no, he didn't want to hear that he was too late, that he had failed his brothers. _

_'Luffy,' he saw Makino turn towards him as he felt his head spin. His eyes began to blur and he made out a blur of green rush towards him as he fell backwards. _

* * *

_A groan escaped his lips as he opened his eyes. The pounding in his head hurt more than before. _

_'Luffy,' his head fell sideways and he saw Makino sitting in a chair beside him. Her hand moved to his forehead and he felt a cool cloth there. 'How are you feeling?' she asked and he shrugged. _

_Turning his head he found his brother lying down next to him on his bed. Half his face was covered in bandages and well as his arms and legs. But he could see the small lifts of his chest as he breathed. He was alive. _

_'He will be okay,' he turned back as Makino lent forwards and placed a kiss on his forehead and replaced the cloth. 'You both need to rest.' She ordered and he nodded. He knew not to fight with Makino, because she always won. _

_'Luffy,' she knelt down next to their bed and placed her hands over his one. 'Where's Ace, Luffy?' she asked gentle. He squeezed his eyes shut as the tears formed in his eyes. _

_'I don't know.' He whimpered and he felt her arms wrap around him. 'I couldn't find him after the fire.' He mumbled into her hair as she hugged him tighter. _

_'It will be alright. Ace is smart and very strong. He will come back.' He nodded against her and let his eyes open. Sabo was safe now. He will be fine. Now he had to find Ace. _

_'The marines!' he shot forwards. He had to find Ace. He had to warn him. _

_'Luffy get back to bed!' Makino called after him as he raced around the room. _

_'The marines will find him. They'll take him away. The shadows will take Ace.' He shouted grabbing his shirt from the back of the chair. He had pulled his head through the hole when Makino forced him to stop in front of her. She knelt down before him and placed her hands on his shoulders. _

_'Ace will be fine. You cannot go out there by yourself. Do you understand me?' She spoke firmly but for the first time in their lives Luffy shooks his head. He would run away. He would sneak out and find Ace. _

_The shadows from his dream almost got Sabo. He wouldn't let them have his other brother. _

_'I can't.' he whispered and pushed away from her. Quickly dodging her advances he jumped to the window ledge and flung open the window. He had to find Ace. 'Look after Sabo.' He called and ignored her calls as he landed on the ground outside of the pub. The sun was already beginning to set as he ran back into his backyard jungle. _

_He ran through the trees and through the bushes back towards the bandit's house. He knew that would be the first place Ace would return to. They had five different routes they usually took when going through their jungle. _

_Each path was different, but they knew them off by heart. Sabo was the one who decided that keeping the same route when they went anywhere could be dangerous. So they made new ones until they had many trails through their jungle. _

_Luffy took his favourite route. His brother would know he would take that route if he was lost or alone. As the darkness formed around him he started to grow tired. The mountain range that separated Foosha Village and the bandit's house around Mt Corvo were long and hard. His hands gripped to each vine, or each tree to help pull him forwards and up to the next layer or hills. _

_He wished he had his pipe, or anything to help defend himself. Running this way with Sabo was different, before he was too stressed in getting him help he didn't think about the monsters that lurked in the jungle. But now, he was alone and defenceless. _

_A yawn broke his lips as he took smaller and smaller steps up the hills. His hands were scraped against the bark and they stung each time he tried to push off for leverage. He was hungry and he was thirsty, but he wouldn't stop. He had to keep going. _

_A snap behind him forced his back towards the closest tree. His eyes darted around the darkening forest to find whoever, or whatever was out there. His heart pounded in his chest as a low growl pierced through the night air. Looking above him he quickly stretched his arms as high as he could and caught the highest branch. _

_Just as he tugged his body off the jungle floor he saw the large white leopard pounce at the spot he was just at. A small scream escaped his lips as he stretched for the next highest branch and hopped from one to the other trying to get out of reach of the massive creature. _

_'Go away!' he screamed at the beach as it followed him up the tree. He jumped from his highest point to the nearest tree and swung his arms from branch to branch. Not daring to glance back, he could feel the predator behind him. _

_'Stop chasing me!' he screamed louder. Dodging its large paws as it swiped at him. _

_'Ace,' he whimpered swinging into the next tree. He wanted his brother. He wanted both his brothers to jump out from nowhere and save him, like they always did. He would give anything to have them with him._

_He didn't want to be have to be brave anymore. _

_He wanted his brothers back. _

_He wanted them to tell him what to do._

_To help him. _

_Tears sprung to his eyes as he jumped from branch to branch and from tree to tree. He needed to escape, he needed to find somewhere to hide that the beast couldn't get to him. _

_'Luffy!' _

_Ace's voice rang through his ears. It was like a warning for him, reminding him to run faster. He couldn't be late. Shadows danced through the trees around him, almost mocking him. They were taunting him, they were going to steal his brother and there was nothing he could do about it. _

_'Luffy duck!' _

_Ace's warning, even if it was a figment of his mind, made him duck. He fell through the gap between his next targeted branches and fell down to the level below. His head ducked as the branch he was about to step on was smashed into smithereens. _

_'Luffy, dammit move.' Ace appeared in front of him and grabbed is hand and ripped him away from his spot. His eyes grew wide looking at the hand that clutched onto his. It was real. It was solid. _

_'Ace?' he whispered looking up to his brothers face as they ran through the jungle. His voice choked as he looked at his brother, even in the moonlight he could see the cuts and bruises that littered over his brother. It was just like his dream Ace. He was hurt. He was hurt badly. But he was alive._

_'The marines are looking for us,' Ace pulled him suddenly to the opposite side as they dodged another swing of the massive paws. _

_'We have to find Sabo,' Ace jumped over a fallen tree and they began running down the hill. He could see the stream starting to get closer and closer. He didn't like this path. This was Ace's favourite. But Luffy didn't like water. He didn't like jumping over the gorge and above the dangerous waters below. _

_'Ace,' Luffy whispered as they didn't slow down. He didn't want to do this. _

_'Come on!' Ace tugged on his hand harder as they reached he edge. Without a second longer to hesitate, he found himself jumping through the air and landing on the opposite side of the cliff. _

_'Ace stop!' Luffy shouted and tugged onto his brother's hand but he didn't stop. _

_'Luffy enough,' Ace shouted back but didn't stop running. He knew where they were heading and he didn't like it. It was back towards Goa Kingdom. _

_'Sabo isn't there!' He shouted and finally got his brother to stop running. Ace turned quickly and stood in front of him. _

_'He's not dead Luffy. I don't give a fuck what Dogra saw. Sabo is not dead!' Ace growled and Luffy took a small step back. He had never seen his brother this angry before. Ace had raised his voice to him before, but never like this. _

_'I know.' He whispered and felt his body tremble looking at his angry brother. _

_'So stop being a cry baby, we need to find Sabo and get off this island.' Ace turned and started to rush off. Leaving him standing there._

_'Sabo's not there!' He called out as the tears started to fall from his face. He was scared. He was scared of his brother, because he could see how scared his big brother was. Ace was never scared, even being tied down and surrounded by Blue Jam's pirates he had never seen him like this. _

_'Luffy?' Ace stopped and slowly made his way back towards him. His arms wrapped around his chest and he felt a sob break his lips. He tried to stop the tears knowing that his brother hated cry-babies. But he couldn't help it. He was scared and he felt alone and he was still hurting._

_'I saw it. I saw them blow up Sabo's ship.' He rushed out quickly and Ace quickly placed his hands on his shoulders and stared into his eyes. He felt his heart break at Luffy's flinch when he stepped closer. He never wanted to scare his little brother. He never wanted him to be afraid of him. _

_'I saw it. I know you told me to stay with Dogra, but I had a dream, and you were dead and Sabo was dead and you yelled at me. You blamed me.' Luffy sobbed and suddenly he was in his brother's arms. He clung to Ace with everything he had. _

_'I'm alive. I'm not dead.' Ace whispered and held him as he cried. _

_'Don't die, Ace. Please don't ever die.' His voice broke as he looked up at his brother. 'Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone anymore.' _

_'Idiot, I won't die.' Ace scoffed and flicked his straw hat from his hand and let it fall back onto his shoulders. _

_'Promise.' _

_'I promise, now tell me everything you saw. Where's Sabo?' Ace knelt down so he was looking at him, rather than down at him. Taking a deep breath he quickly explained everything that happened in the last three days. _

_'He's at Makino's?' Ace stood up with a smile on his face. 'You carried him from Goa Kingdom all the way to Foosha?' he asked with a little surprise in his voice. _

_'I had too. There were marines in the jungle.' Luffy wiped the snot from his face and dried his eyes. He was feeling better now. Both his brothers were alive. The shadows didn't take any of his brothers from him. _

_'Alright, let's go.' Ace pushed off from his spot and started running back towards Foosha Village. 'You did real good Luffy.'_

_'Ace,' Luffy whispered and held out his hand hesitantly. He knew Ace wasn't one for helping him or holding his hand. But he needed his big brother. _

_'Everything will be alright now, Luffy, I promise.' Ace spoke and quickly grabbed his hand as they ran towards Foosha Village and towards Makino and Sabo. _

* * *

_Luffy woke up as they arrived at the Village, he didn't remember falling asleep or even stopping to get on his brother's back. Ace was walking through the dark streets of Foosha Village and stopped right outside the pub. They could see the close sign clearly in the glass window of the door. But they knew Makino was home. _

_Looking around him, Ace quickly pushed the door open and snuck inside. Looking back at the door he locked it and headed into the dark pub. _

_'Luffy!' _

_A light appeared from behind the counter and from the stair case. _

_'Makino,' Ace called out and he heard her footsteps rushing faster. The light appeared and then followed by its carrier. _

_'Thank heavens, you're both alright.' She rushed to him and placed her hands on his cheek and looked over his body. _

_'Luffy,' she moved onto him and he smile to her. _

_'I found him.' he whispered before letting his eyes close and his head fall onto his brother's shoulder. They were both safe. They were both together. They were finally all together again. _

_It was morning by the time Luffy woke up again in his bed, with his brothers by his side. He could feel Ace's strong arm placed on his stomach and his hands where clenched one in Ace's shirt and the other in Sabo's hand. Peeking over to Sabo he could still see he was asleep. He hadn't woken up in days now. _

_'Sabo,' he whispered and pressed his forehead into his shoulder. He wanted him to wake up. He wanted his brother back. _

_A small groan sounded from his chest and Luffy sprung up and hovered over Sabo._

_'Sabo, can you hear me?' he asked and placed his other hand over his hand and squeezed it. _

_'Sabo,' Ace woke up and shuffled closer to them. 'Come on Sabo wake up.' He begged and they could see his eyes start to flutter open. _

_'Come on, Sabo wake up.' Ace pressed. _

_'No, no.' Sabo writhed in his spot and Ace quickly moved to hold down his brothers arms to stop him from hurting himself or Luffy. _

_'Sabo wake up! It's me, Ace. It just us.' Ace pleaded as his brother fought off his nightmare. _

_'Get away from me!' Sabo thrashed his eyes flung open and his whole body lurched forwards, forcing Ace and Luffy to fall backwards. _

_'Sabo!' they both screamed and shuffled back from the bed. _

_Blue eyes stared back at them in confusion before realisation hit him. _

_'Ace, Luffy,' Sabo whispered and then he was tackled onto the bed. _

_'You're alive.' Luffy cried into his brother neck as his arms wrapped around him. _

_'What happened?' Sabo asked looking to Ace who was the only coherent one in the room. Ace explained everything that he could, but it was Luffy who filled in the blanks and detailed his heroic save. _

_'Thank you Luffy,' Sabo leant his forehead against Luffy's and felt a goofy smile appear on his face. _

_'Sabo.' Both of them sat up and looked to Ace who was now standing beside the bed with his hand in a fist around a piece of paper. _

_'Ace that letter,' Sabo pushed Luffy off his lap and tried to reach for the paper. _

_'Take care of our little brother! Take care of our little fucken brother. You dared write that to me.' Ace growled and dodged his brother's attempts to get the letter back._

_'You say that our brotherhood is your treasure! And yet you just left. Why didn't you come for us! We would have gone with you!' Ace yelled and Sabo tried yet again to get the paper. _

_'I'm sorry okay. You don't know what it was like there!' Sabo tried to explain and reached for the letter but fell to the ground in a heap. 'It was a prison Ace.' His voice cracked as he looked at the empty piece of carpet in front of him. _

_'Luffy was right back then, being alone is the worst pain in the world.' Sabo felt his hands clench into fists. That place was never his home, those people were never his parents or his family. He was caged there. 'But I couldn't risk you both. You are all I have left in this world.' _

_'You're still an idiot.' Ace snorted and sat down opposite him. _

_'I know.' Sabo nodded and felt a small tug on his lips. Ace didn't hate him. He didn't hold it against him for running away. _

_'And I'm the older brother.'_

* * *

_Luffy was asleep when he heard Ace's voice wake him. He went to roll over and face his brother when he heard the soft murmurs of Makino's voice. _

_Ace was sad. _

_Ace was crying. _

_'They're my brothers.' Ace whispered in the dark night. 'And I failed them.' _

_'No Ace, you protected them the best you could. And you will always be there for them.' Makino's soft voice rang through the cold night. _

_'Luffy is the brave one, he stood up to everyone, he saved Sabo. God, he never gave up on us.' Ace whimpered and he felt his smile grow a small fraction. He was happy his brother was happy with what he had done. More so, because he knew he would never hear Ace talk about him like that to his face. _

_'And Sabo, I just let him go. And he – he could have died.' Ace broke and sob erupted. 'It's all my fault.'_

_'Ace.'_

_'I was so scared Makino. I've never been more scared in my entire life. I could have lost them. They could have died and it would have been my fault.'_

_'No Ace.' Makino's voice grew louder. 'Look at me Ace. It is not your fault. Do you hear me, it is their fault. Those pompous nobles and those terrible people claiming for world justice. It will always be their fault.' Her voice reached his own ears. _

_He didn't like those types of marines. _

_Sabo had told him which flags were bad ones, and which marines were okay to sneak past and which ones meant danger. _

_But now he saw it for himself. _

_They had blown up his brother._

_They had destroyed their home._

_'It will always be their fault Ace. Remember that.' _

_Luffy knew something was wrong. He looked to his brothers and then back to the closed basement door. It was early in the morning when Makino rushed in and ushered them into the dark basement. The marines were in Foosha. _

_The marines that were walking around with images of both Ace and himself. _

_Ace was right, they were just looking for them. Makino had tried to call their Grampa, but he wouldn't answer, and everyone she spoke to claimed that they would tell him. Why wouldn't their Grampa return their call?_

* * *

_It had been three days since Sabo had awoken from his long sleep and it had been three long days of staying hidden in the small room. _

_'Will Makino be okay?' he asked looking up at his brothers for reassurance. _

_'She'll be fine.' Ace answered and was now holding onto a piece of wood that he had found on the ground somewhere in this darkness. He was sitting in front of Sabo who was leaning heavily against a crate. He still wasn't fully recovered yet, he could move, just not too fast. _

_Ace stood guard in front of them and in front of the small gap between the crates that they used as a fort to hide them if someone was to come looking for them. _

_'Quiet.' Ace snapped when they heard loud footsteps above them. Footsteps that could only belong to at least five strong marines. _

_'Good morning gentleman, what can I do for you?' they heard Makino's voice as the footsteps stopped no doubt right in front of the bar where she could always be found. _

_'We're looking for these two children, people have stated that they reside here?' the marine asked with a hint of threat in his voice. Ace clutched his weapon tighter and prepared to burst out from his spot if things were to go south. _

_'Those two, well yes, I used to provide them lodging when they used to live in Foosha. I believe they are now living somewhere towards Goa Kingdom now.' Makino's voice was strong and didn't waver once as she spoke. _

_'There have been reports that they have been spotted back in this village.' The marine tried again. _

_'I assure you, Marine-san that those boys have not returned to my lodging for the last few years. If you insist please allow me to show you the rooms.' _

_'Hey that's Ace and Luffy, those orphaned brats from years ago?' a random voice spoke up and Sabo quickly stood up with Luffy already ready to run. _

_'You have seen these two recently?' the marine asked the new voice. _

_'Yeah, me and my mates were up at Goa for the celebrations. Saw those two running around pinching wallets from those rich bastards.' The man laughed. 'They were staying in a small run down factory on the north side of Grey Terminal, you can't miss it, big grey building with broken windows on each side.'_

_'Thank you, the World Government appreciates your devotion to upholding justice.' The marine retorted. _

_'You can thank me by picking up my tab,' the man laughed and there was a solid thump of what he assumed was a bag of coins on the bar. _

_They waited as the marines were out of the bar and then waited even longer. Who knows if they were just waiting for them to reveal themselves? _

_'Tanro-san, what did you just do?' Makino asked with concern lacing her voice._

_'My crew and I are leaving tonight. By the time they realise, we'll be gone.' The man now known as Tanro spoke. _

_'Why?' Makino asked desperately. _

_'Those boys ain't done nothing wrong. But they cannot hide here for long Makino. Those marines will come back to this village. They will stop at nothing until they get what they came for. You know this.' Tanro spoke the words that everyone was thinking. _

_Luffy looked at his brothers for the answers. He wanted to know what they would do now. Where would they hide? How long would they have to hide before they were safe enough to come out? _

_'Thank you Tanro-san, thank you.' _

* * *

_It was four nights later when they grabbed whatever their hands could hold and ran from the pub in the middle of the night. The marines were back. They were raiding every single place in Foosha Village looking for them. _

_Makino had destroyed any and all evidence of them being in her pub before trying to hide them beneath the floor boards in the basement. But there wasn't enough time. _

_Ace had made the call that night. They could no longer wait to hear back from their Grampa. There was no one coming to help them. _

_'They will charge Makino with treason if they find us here,' Sabo spoke desperately as the light from the marine's searches lit up the village. There were four groups of marines that had started their searches from different parts of the village. North, South, East and the West corners of their village. They were boxing everyone in. _

_No one could escape. _

_'We need to go. Now.' Ace picked up the small wooden beam that he now had as his pipe replacement and moved towards the small window. _

_'Where do we go?' Sabo asked pulling the coat over his body and letting the hood cover his face. He moved towards Luffy and did the same. Covering them from view. _

_'Anywhere. We cannot let them hurt Makino.' Ace answered what each of them already knew. They would never hurt Makino and they would never let her try to protect them. She was their precious person, and they would protect her. _

_'We head towards the treehouse. We hide in the jungle for a few days and we can decide later.' Ace ordered and they nodded. They would survive out there. They had done it all their lives. A few days would be nothing too them. _

* * *

"They found us. We tried to run and hide but they found us." Luffy spoke still looking at the hat in his hands. He hadn't looked up at Shanks once through his story. He couldn't bear to look at him.

"Ace pushed me away. He told me to run and not look back. But I couldn't. They had guns on them. I froze." He whimpered and let his tears fall down his face, "I was so scared. I didn't want to be alone."

"If I was strong like Ace, or smarter like Sabo I could have helped. I could have saved them and we would have – they wouldn't have taken us." Tears flooded down his face as he tried to hold them back. He didn't want to be a cry-baby. But he couldn't stop them from falling.

"Luffy, there is nothing you could have done back then. Do you understand me? Those marines that came after you were not just foot soldiers. Powerful people wanted you and Ace captured." Shanks felt his entire heart being ripped from his chest and throw into the deepest depths of hell. He was going to slaughter every single one of those marines who were on that mission. The way Luffy described the men in charge, he knew exactly who orchestrated this attack and he would be damn sure that they knew he knew. No one touched his precious people.

"What happened next Luffy? How did you get on the slavers ship?" he asked not wanting to know the answer at all. He was only glad to know that the slavers that once held not only his niece but Luffy as well were all dead and rotting at the bottom of the sea. He was happy that Whitebeard held as much hatred for slavers as he and his men did.

Hell, most pirates on the grand line hated slavers. Everyone knew that once you reached the auction houses, there was no hope for you. It was either death or a life worse than death, there was no escape.

"The big marine guy sold us to the scary guys. They put us in these metal cages. Flick was there when we got there." A small smile finally crept onto the boy's face.

"She was so awesome, even when she was blinded. She attacked them and fought back. Every time they-" His voice trailed off. Shanks knew what he meant. Every time those bastards tortured them, every time they tried to break them into submission.

His eyes lifted and looked up at the sky. He knew his baby sister was the one who kept Octavia from fighting. Lisara's will to never give up and to never stop fighting back was passed onto her daughter, and that, will, was the only thing that kept her alive for so many years.

"I wasn't strong enough though, they wouldn't let me go into that room. They all got hurt more because I was too weak." Shanks clutched the boy tighter.

He didn't want to hear about the torture they went through. He didn't want to hear about his niece living in that place for so many years. His eyes ran over Luffy's body but was glad to see there were no scars that maimed his skin.

"They're your brothers Luffy, they would do anything to protect you." He whispered trying to push down his anger.

"But I didn't even know Flick and she still saved me. Why did she do it!" he cried out.

"I don't know why Luffy, but she's just like her mother. She knows when someone is worth fighting for, she saw that in you Luffy, and one day you will be strong enough to fight for her." He pressed his face into his dark black hair.

"I will. I'll get so strong that no one will be able to hurt anyone I love." Luffy looked up at his idol with a new mission. He would fight for his brothers and sister. He would get so strong that no one in the world would ever dare to touch them. He'd make sure that even the World Government were too scared to touch his nakama.

"That is how I know you will be a great captain someday, Luffy." Shanks laughed but Luffy's smile faulted. Being captain meant that he would have to protect his nakama. It meant that he would need to find a crew worthy enough, he would have to leave his home to find them. He would be alone.

"I don't want to be alone." He whispered.

"You're never alone Anchor, you will find friends wherever you go in the world. You will give people a home, you will give them a family. Just like you have with your brothers and Octavia. One day you will find a whole group of people and give them a family."

Luffy sat there running through the words that Shanks had spoken. He looked out at the open ocean with a new smile on his face. He could find people all over the world, people like his brothers and Flick, people who would belong together. He would find people to be his nakama.

"But-" he whispered thinking back to his siblings. He didn't want to leave them. He didn't want to be away from them.

"Your brothers and Flick will always be with you. No matter where you are or where they are on the ocean you will always be together." He listened to what Shanks was saying. It was what Whitebeard and his guardians had been telling them for days. They would always be together no matter what.

"Yes," Luffy nodded. He would find his nakama. He would make sure that he was strong enough to always protect them, to save them if they needed it.

"I'm going to find the best nakama in the whole world." He beamed up at the man behind him.

"Yes you will, and then when that day happens you come and find me." Shanks flicked the hat of his head and ruffled his black spikey hair. "And then and only then will I accept this hat back."

Luffy laughed loudly. He was going to do it.

He was going to be a Captain.

He was going to find his nakama from all over the world.

He was going to the Pirate King.

* * *

_**'There's no winning. There's just… living. Moving forward. And if you keep doing that, you'll be alright.'**_

* * *

**Sooooo what did you think?  
**

**Luffy saved Sabo. :D **

**Sabo woke up ;) insert little laugh there. **

**Ace is the big brother. **

**Makino covered for them. **

**Garp didn't answer. :( **

**Luffy will be the Pirate's King! **

**That was a long chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it.**

**Thanks again to my lovely reviewers: NotsoSlimShady, Nala1220, Rinslayer, bibliophile030, GoldenMelon, JFR123, OnepieceDoesExist, guesty, Liltnightmare17, Son of Whitebeard, Spygirl, Shadow2Wolf.  
**

**Next Up: Departure and decisions. Sorry :( It is time. Or is it? **


	21. Chapter 21 - Final Days

**HELLLOOO Everyone - IM BACK! Must say my holiday was fucken AMAZING! Loved every second of it. But I am somewhat glad to be home. **

**On another note: I have thought about a lot about my story and a few reviewers comments - suggestions. I have noticed that it has dropped in the Thriller / Action / Suspense. So I am kind of reviewing where my story is going. **

**BUT I WILL still be updating weekly. Just redoing a few of the upcoming chapters I had pre-written. **

* * *

_**'This is my family, I found it all on my own. It's little and broken. But still good. Yeah, still good.'**_

* * *

Today was the day they reached their final island together.

The last day.

The final day aboard the Moby Dick.

The final day with their Whitebeard Family.

Octavia sat on the figurehead with her brothers in silence. Even Luffy was surprisingly quiet for once which surprised everyone. She was happy to hear his laughter again though, over the last few days, and now she understood what Ace meant about Luffy having his own personal catch phrase. Luffy had gone all around the ship telling anyone who would listen that he was going to become the Pirate's King. He was going to find the greatest crew in the world and find the One Piece.

She smiled. She was glad her youngest brother had his dream back. She had never seen him like this before and it was quite a sight. Every moment that Luffy smiled widely, or beamed those words high and with pride, she could see the looks of pride and relief wash over her older brothers faces. She never realised how much it had effected them by the absence of his catch phrase. And she didn't they knew how much either until it was back. Sabo had claimed that this was the Luffy that they knew and grew up with, this was their Luffy before the slavers.

And it was all thanks to her uncle for giving him back his dream.

All morning the four of them and their guardians stayed in their room packing the last bits of their stuff away into bags and boxes. For coming here with nothing but the rags on her body, they had found themselves surrounded by small trinkets and books and a stack load of clothes made by Izo.

She looked at all her clothes as they were being boxed up, every single item had the image of Whitebeard's mark on it, or a picture of a wolf on it. At least she would have that to remember everyone by every time she wore them.

Thatch stayed by her side for the whole morning and helped pack her books away for her. She tried to argue with him, they were his books, not hers. But he ignored her protests and continued packing them anyways. He had stayed rather quiet during the packing phase, so did the other guardians. Everyone was sad. No one wanted this day to actually arrive, the last few days had been amazing but all too quick.

"We're here," Sabo's voice broke her from her thoughts and to the island that was in front of them. A spring island, not that it really mattered too much to her. She could hear both sides of the crews docking the two massive ships. While her heart pounded in her chest rapidly, she wanted to avoid this day. She wanted the last two days to stay on loop and repeat over and over again.

She didn't want to say goodbye to the family she had found and come to love, or to the father she had found and cared for her. Or the guardians that literally gave her back her life. But now she found her uncle again. He was family, the last blood relation she had left in this world, other than her grandfather Rayleigh, who still no one had any ideas on his whereabouts, but he was her mothers, brother. He was her Uncle.

He was her Uncle Red.

She didn't have the words for how she felt about him. She was happy, ecstatic, nervous and excited. But that small sliver of doubt crept into her mind every time she looked at her guardian. She wished she could bring Thatch with her. He was something that no one could ever take away from her. He was the one who saved her, the one who gave her back her life. He never gave up on her, he always tried to make her smile, or make her feel comfortable. He was the first adult she trusted in so many years, and now she loved him.

She wished that her father's crew and now her uncle's crew could join together, but she knew that was never going to happen. But she could dream.

Finding her Grandfather was one of her top goals she had in her life now. She wanted to meet him, but most of all she wanted him to know that she was still alive. She wanted to secure her family to her, she wanted everyone to know that she was alive and she wanted them to know that she loved them.

Looking over her shoulder she found the four guardians and commanders walking towards them. Each of them had not a single trace of a smile on their faces. She looked to Thatch who was barely able to look at her in the eye.

"Thatch," she whispered and his head snapped to her. His arms opened and she was instantly in them, burying her face into his shirt. She sniffed in his scent and tried to plant it into her memory. She never wanted to forget how he smelled, or the sound of his voice or his laugh. She wanted to remember the exact way he hummed the lullaby's to her when she was afraid. Or the way he brushed her hair with his fingers.

She told herself she wouldn't cry this morning. She would be happy, she would use this last day to be happy with her family. She wanted to remember them all with smiles on their faces and not tears. She wanted them to see that she was brave now, that she could do this. She didn't want Thatch to be worried about her, she wanted him to believe in her.

"I'm going to miss you Princess," he hugged her to his chest and wrapped his strong arms around her.

"I'm going to miss you more," she laughed clutching him tighter.

"You can come and visit whenever you like," Thatch crushed her to his chest and she nodded trying to blink away the tears that threatened to fall.

"Where's Lyon?" she whispered not seeing her other friend.

"He will be up soon. He's not quite ready yet." Thatch whispered and she nodded. She knew what that felt like, she wasn't sure if she was ready yet either.

"I love you Thatch," she chocked back the sob that was threatening to break through. She had to tell him. She had to say the words that she had tried so hard to show him.

"Love you too Octavia. Always. No matter how far away we are."

"Remember what I told you." Namur bent down and placed his hands around Sabo's shoulders.

"I will." Sabo spoke looking at his guardian.

"Don't forget to practise every day."

"I won't."

"I've packed those navigation books we didn't get to reading. Read them and write out your notes like I taught you."

"I will." Sabo felt his eyes start to water.

"Remember to keep your focus up, always be aware of your surroundings."

"I promise."

"Remember to-" Suddenly Namur was cut off and tackled by the young blonde.

"I won't forget anything you taught me. I promise." Sabo gripped onto the man with everything he had. He would practice every day, and read through his books until he could remember them off by heart. He would make his guardian proud of him.

Namur regretted how long it took him to take Sabo under his wing. He regretted all those weeks he could have had with him, if only his pride wasn't so big. If only he gave the little noble boy a chance before he judged him. Then they would have had more time together.

"I'll never forget you kid."

"You all have your pipes?" Marco knelt down in front of Ace and tried his hardest not to pull him into his arms and fly away. He watched as the boy nodded with no emotions on his face. He remembered this tight guarded expression from the first few weeks they were aboard. He didn't like seeing its return.

"I've packed a den den mushi in your bag. Keep it on you at all times. The number is there." Ace nodded, listening to his final orders from his guardian.

"You call me any time, day, night, never hesitate." Ace nodded again.

"Keep those arms up, remember." Ace stared at the man nodding after each request.

"Defending and dodging is not running away, remember that." Marco wasn't happy. He wanted to hear the boys smart remarks, he wanted to be told off, and be called an old man. He wanted the boy to shout at him and tell him that he wasn't the boss of him. He wanted his attitude back. He'd give anything to have more time with him, with all of them.

"Protect those siblings of yours."

"Always." Ace finally spoke looking up at Marco.

"Please wait a few years before you wreak havoc on the world." Ace finally let a small smile appear on his face.

"Marco," Ace whispered taking a small step closer to the man. He wasn't good at this type of thing. He looked to his brother and sister who were clinging to their guardians. He turned back to thank the man when suddenly he was in his arms. Marco had pulled him into his arms, he had done the part he was always so afraid of doing.

"I'm going to miss you brat." Marco whispered. Ace slowly let his arms wrap around the man and clung to the last bit of whatever he was feeling boil up inside.

Luffy stared at his siblings as they said their goodbye to their guardians. He sat on the figurehead with his arms crossed over his chest, thinking, watching. Izo moved towards him and he looked at his guardian. This was the man who had taught him how to aim and trained him. The man who taught him that it was okay to cry, that it was okay to show your emotions. He was the one who taught him that it was okay to be different.

He was someone who respected him, someone who would listen to anything and everything he had to say, and never made fun of him when he couldn't say things right. He would make him clothes that were always in his favourite colours, he would always be there for him. Izo was more than just his guardian, he was his friend. He was family.

He looked out at the others who had fed him, and made him better and gave him a home.

He looked out to Whitebeard who was watching them, he was always watching them. He had rescued them. He was the one who gave them a title, welcomed them into his home and crew.

He looked over to Shanks who was standing in the back looking over them. He was letting them say goodbye. He was the man who gave him his dream, who saved his life. He was the man who gave him a family when he had no one.

And finally he looked back to his siblings, his family. They were his nakama, and he would always protect his nakama. He might not be the strongest yet, but he would protect them in every way. And that started now.

He was going to become one of the best captains in the whole wide world. He would protect his nakama with his life.

And that started right now.

"I've decided." Luffy spoke out loudly and caught the attention of everyone.

"Luffy?" Ace turned to him.

"We're staying." He spoke out clearly and the entire ship went quiet. He looked up at Shanks who was now walking towards him with a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry Shanks, but we're all staying here." He said again now looking directly at him.

"What makes you the man to decide?" Shanks asked not showing any anger.

"I'm going to be a captain one day, the best captain there is. It's the job of the captain to make sure that his nakama are safe and happy, right?" he questioned looking at the two captains on board. After receiving two firm nods he continued. "Well I've decided. It's best for us to stay here. This is our home now, everyone here is our nakama." He explained without a hint of doubt to his words.

"You can't just decide for everyone, idiot." Ace stepped forwards. Shanks was Flick's uncle. She had a right to stay with him, and they would follow her to the ends of the world.

"Yes I can."

"He's her uncle, Luffy." Sabo spoke holding Ace back.

"And we're her brothers. And Whitebeard is her Papa, and they are her guardians." Sabo groaned he didn't know how to get through to him. Sabo looked up to Marco and gestured for him to step in and say something.

"Luffy," Marco stepped forwards seeing that no one was getting through to the youngest. He didn't want them leaving, no one on board the Moby Dick wanted to see them go, but that wasn't their choice to make.

"No. I told you it's decided." Luffy crossed his arms over his chest and a solid pout formed on his lips.

"Why?" Octavia spoke up. She needed to know why he changed his mind. Everyone was telling him he couldn't, but she wanted to know why. What did her younger brother see that no one else could?

Luffy looked at each of them before coming back to her. A sigh escaped his lips and his seriousness only grew stronger. Slowly he took off his hat and placed it in his lip so he could see them all properly.

"I may not be as smart as everyone else, or as strong, but I see stuff." He took a moment and scratched the back of his neck.

"Flick, every time you walk away, or are left alone for a second you're sad again. You smile for everyone but when you're alone you're sad. You're getting scared again, and jump at small things or new people entering the room. You can't sleep a full night again and you've skipped three meals now. You keep looking to Ace and Sabo when you ask for something or when you do something. It's as though you're waiting to be hurt again." He spoke clearly and then looked to Sabo.

"Sabo, you keep touching your goggles. Every time you're alone you touch them, and you keep touching the things you've been given. Your books, your charts. You even started writing in that book you always wrote in, it almost full and it's only been four days." Sabo stood shocked looking at his youngest brother. He looked at his siblings as they stared at him.

"I didn't want to forget anything," he whispered in shock. Before he would write the big events, things that made a difference to their lives, but lately he has been writing absolutely everything from what they had eaten, too small stories the crew had told them. He wanted to remember absolutely every little detail.

"Ace, you won't look anyone in the eye. And you start a fight with anyone who says anything to you, plus you haven't been able to sleep either. You sleep in the furthest bed, not because of who's in the bed, but it's closest to the door. You always took the bed closest to the door, you said it was safer back then."

Everyone stayed completely still after hearing Luffy's speech. No one ever thought he was capable of forming complete logical sentences, but here it was. He seemed to be the most observant of them all. He was the only one to pick up on everyone's moods and feelings. He picked up on the tiniest little details that effected each of his siblings on such a deep level.

The guardians looked at each other, almost feeling a bit ashamed that they never noticed these things. They never saw the old fearful habits start to resurface again. But Luffy had, Luffy picked up the signals as though they were nothing. He read his siblings like the back of his hand.

"This is our home now, we found a home here and people who care about us and have become our nakama." Luffy stood and looked at Shanks. "And one day I will return your hat to you, but that's not today. I promise to get stronger and smarter but for now this is where we belong." He beamed at his idol.

"On the contrary, you've proven yourself right here, right now, that you are worthy of being an excellent captain. Maybe you should hand it back now?" Whitebeard stepped forwards and completely the small circle of commanders and brats.

"Nuh uh, not until I'm the Pirate's King." Luffy whined and there he turned back into his normal self.

"Uncle Red?" Octavia whispered looking up at her uncle. He quickly moved to bend down in front of her. She wanted to explain to him, she wanted to justify her feelings to him or her actions. But she didn't know how, how could she tell the man who had done so much for her in her life that she didn't want to go with him. But she didn't want to lose him either.

"It's alright Little Red," he spoke tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"But-"

"Anchor said it right, this is your home now. And as much as I'd love having you with me, this is where you belong right now." She looked up at her uncle and saw his eyes water. She didn't want him to be upset.

"I don't want you to go either," she threw herself into his arm and buried her face into his chest.

"Well I'm sorry sweetheart, but I'm not joining the Old Man." Shanks laughed. "This isn't goodbye you know that right." He pulled her back to look at her.

"We will see each other, and write to each other and we have den den mushi's."

"You're not angry?" she whispered.

"Never Little Red. All I've wanted was for you to be happy and safe. And I can see that you are," he wiped her cheeks. "But, know that if they ever do anything to harm you, I will have to destroy them." He spoke seriously which caused her to laugh. "You will always have a home with me, you will always be protected by your families. And we will have little holidays together." He winked at her and she found herself laughing. Vacations with her uncle sounded amazing.

"Thank you Uncle Red," she leant forwards and wrapped her arms around her uncle. She was so happy that he wasn't angry. She was happy that she was staying with Whitebeard, she was happy that she had got to see her uncle again. But most of all she was happy that this wasn't a goodbye, she would see her uncle again, and then next time, she would be stronger.

"I'll always love you Octavia, your parents would be so proud of you." He whispered and she felt a small sob break her lips.

"Love you too," she let her tears fall as her uncle picked her up.

"We will celebrate on the island today and tonight. This will be the day that the Red haired Pirates, and the Whitebeard Pirates will be forever allied." Shanks spoke looking at the captain.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Whitebeard laughed.

"But know this old man, I will be checking in on them, frequently. And I will demand a few months here and there of their company. Shanks spoke seriously. He may not have her on his ship to protect, but there was no way he was not going to be keeping tabs on her. On all of them. His crew would always be there to protect the four new comers. And his allies.

"And don't be too surprised if a friend of mine turns up, hell, actually he won't up, he'll just lurk in the shadows like the creep he is." He let his head fall back and laugh. There was one other person in this world who knew of their entire history. Someone who was forever loyal to him, and vice versa. Even if once upon a time they were enemies, enemies that held the most respect for each other.

"Does this ally have a name?" Marco prodded not liking the sound of an unfamiliar being familiar with them and his brats.

"Dracule Mihawk." Shanks spoke the name dramatically, and purposely looked around watching the reactions of everybody. And boy did he get them.

"Hawk Eyes is your ally!" Thatch screeched loudly causing everyone to look at him. "You want Hawk eyes, The Hawk Eyes to know about them!" he pointed rapidly at the four kids staring up at him like he was crazy.

"Yep, well he already knew about Octavia when she was born." he looked down at his niece who looked even more confused. She had no idea who this person was. She looked to her brothers who matched her expressions. None of them had heard about this person before. But by the sounds of Thatch's shrill of a voice it was someone serious and important, and maybe a hint of danger.

"He is the greatest swordsman that ever lived." Shanks explained as her eyes widened. "And my long life rival, well he used to be."

"Hawk Eyes! Sword guy, dark hair, likes to sleep? That guy?" Thatch spoke again still in a state of shock.

"Dracule Mihawk is your ally now? Was this before or after he took your arm?" Marco asked a little slyly.

"Hawk Eyes didn't take my arm," Shanks laughed. He had heard thousands and thousands of rumours as to how he lost his arm, but not a single person was right. And he didn't plan on giving up on his little game, it was too much fun listening to those rumours spread.

"That was my fault."

Or not.

He looked down at Luffy who had his arm raised high in the sky but he bit down on his lip.

"What!" The guardians simultaneously shouted at the boy.

"Anchor, that was my running joke." Shanks sighed but laughed.

"How did that happen?" Marco asked wanting to know the full story.

"Shanks saved me from some bandits that threw me into the ocean. And then a sea king came out of nowhere and I thought I was going to die. But Shanks saved me. But the sea king ate his arm." Luffy beamed through his quick retelling but then his eyes lowered at the end. He never liked that part of the story.

"And I told you, I had another one." Shanks glared down at the boy. He never held it against Luffy for that day. He would do it over and over again if it meant that he was safe and alive. He would give up his other arm in a heartbeat too.

"But no, it wasn't my loss of arm that stopped the bastard." Shanks sighed remember the long argument he had with the man all those years ago. The day his first secret was discovered, and by his rivalled enemy at that. Lisara just had to walk out with a screaming baby in her arms.

"So Hawkeye's knows about Octavia?" Marco asked and she looked to see her commanders take a small step towards her.

"Yes," Shanks looked around the deck and was glad to see only the commanders surrounding them. This information was privy to only the most trusted of members.

"After the buster call, Hawkey has been trying to discover the person who initiated the attack." He admitted and heard a few gasps around the deck. He looked to his niece and saw her eyes widening and glossing over with tears bound to fall.

"We never gave up, we will never give up. We will get justice for that day, for your mother, for those hundreds of people on that island and for you Little Red. Whoever was behind this, will not get away with it." Shanks knelt down in front of her and she found her teeth biting down on her bottom lip. She shook away her tears and launched herself into his chest. His arm wrapped around her protectively as she sobbed into his shirt.

"Hawk Eyes is a working as a mole?" Thatch asked not sure how to feel about that bit of information.

"Not exactly, this is the only thing he's trying to find out. He doesn't care about anything else." Shanks explained.

"You will inform us as soon as something is discovered," Whitebeard spoke and received a firm nod.

"You have my word." Shanks stood and held out his hand to Whitebeard.

Everyone watched as two of the deadliest men in the world shook hands and formed an unwavering alliance.

"I expect to have full updates on the four of them as well. No small matter gets left out." He spoke looking at the guardians who had each taken their respective positions behind their charges.

"Photo's will be sent." Izo smirked and received many glares from everyone. It seemed photos were not a liked thing.

"Okay, so let me get this straight." Thatch stepped forwards into the small circle and pointed to her.

"Your full name is Silvers Octavia, granddaughter of Silvers Rayleigh, first mate to Gol D Roger." He then moved on and pointed to Shanks.

"Shanks is your Uncle, one of the four Yonko's." He then pointed to Whitebeard.

"Whitebeard, is you're Pops-"

"Papa," She interjected.

"Papa, who is another Yonko and the strongest man alive." He then turned and pointed back to her.

"Yes," she beamed proudly at Thatch. That was her family.

"Dear god," Thatch sagged a little. "I need a drink. Hell, I need ten."

"Hey you forgot me!" Luffy stood up and yelled at him. "I'm her brother and I'm going to the Pirate's King." Everyone laughed; but no one disagreed.

"Anyone else we need to know about?" Marco asked looking at Shanks. Now that her family tree had been laid out in front of them, he knew the other thousand reasons why the World Government was hunting her.

"No. Everyone else who even suspected isn't with us." Shanks spoke seriously. There were not many people in the world who knew of her existence and then even fewer people knew of her full heritage.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go get drunk!" Shanks called out and earned a huge reaction from everyone.

"Not you," he looked down at Luffy who was celebrating with everyone else.

"You're so mean Shanks." Luffy whined but followed as everyone started headed off the ship.

Octavia and her brothers sat on the large white figure head of their home ship and watched as the Red Force went sailing off into the distance. None of them had spoken a word since they waved goodbye to her uncle and to their new friends. There were so many different thoughts that were running through their minds, none of them had any idea where to start with debriefing from the last few days of events.

The last few days had been something out of a book. She never imagined that she would find her lost family out in the middle of nowhere, or find so many lifelong friends. But she had, they all had. Or that fact that her new family she had made, had already bonded with her blood family.

She reconnected with Benn, Lucy Roo and Yasopp and reminisced on all the small adventures they had when she was a kid. She was presented with small little treasures they had found over the years which she gladly took and restarted her trinket collection on a shelf in her room. Yasopp promised to help her with her bow and arrow the next time they were together and promised to show her a few tricks or two.

Benn instantly gained the attention of Ace and Sabo, who hounded the man with tactical strategies as well as stories of his countless battles and fights. He was Shanks' first mate, he was Marco's equal when comparing titles. And to them, that was enough to hound the man. Sabo hounded, Ace stood back and accepted the information with a small smirk on his face. He would never admit out loud that he was excited about hearing the stories and wanted to hear more.

It was hard for them to believe that not a year ago they were sitting in their treehouse just thinking about the possibilities of the adventures they could have. And now, here they were actually hearing about them from real pirates, and famous ones at that. It was something out of a dream.

Luffy barely left Shanks' side as they reconnected after so many years. She often found herself sitting in Thatch's lap, whilst Luffy sat in Shanks', and they talked for hours nonstop. She looked at her youngest brother and they both felt truly happy. In the end they all got what they wanted.

Luffy sat next to his sister on top of his favourite spot with a large smile on his face. He was happy with his decision he had made, and there wasn't anything in this world that would make him regret what he had done. His siblings were happy that they were still calling the Moby Dick their home, and even happier when they found out that they would still be seeing a lot more of Shanks in their futures.

He was happy as well.

He had the best of both worlds.

He glanced at his brothers and sister with a whole new level of a grin on his face. He was proud of what he had done, and he wouldn't be forgetting the way his Pops and Shanks both smiled at him in pride. It was the first time he had really seen that reaction from two people he had admired most in the world, they were his fathers. This was what having parents felt like. That was what it felt like to feel absolute pride for something he had done, and actually had people around him notice and care.

Shanks starred off into the distance as their two ships sailed in opposite directions, he watched as the spec of darkness that housed his niece disappeared into the distance. His heart ached at his decisions and his conscience was nagging at him for not stealing away his niece and Luffy, and running away with them and hiding them for the rest of their lives.

He thought back to the last few days and how much he had learnt and grown from those measly days. He would cherish those moments and any moment later on he would get with those four brats. He would be rooting for them to take over the world.

He would make sure that when their paths collided once more that he would have plenty of things to teach them, and to see how much they have grown. He knows they won't sit still. As soon as he was out of sight he knew that they would be back to their training routines, and with his small parting gift he knew there was going to be quite the drama aboard.

But there was one lingering thought that disturbed him more than anything.

Teach.

His hand moved to his face and his fingers roamed over the scars that formed on his cheek. He didn't like that man. He didn't trust that man as far as he could throw him. That man was not someone he wanted around his niece or around those boys. If only that old man could see it.

_'You.' Shanks pushed the large man against the wall and let his fingers grip around his white shirt. He knew that Teach was a part of the Whitebeard crew, but to see him here. 'Touch my niece or those brats and I will kill you.' He threatened letting his hands grip tighter around his neck. _

_He knew that Teach was stronger than what he let on. He knew that this man was hiding a secret that would one day come out. And when it did, he was going to be ready for whatever he had planned. _

_'I mean no harm to those brats. Honest.' Teach stuttered as his eyes looked around the room frantically. But Shanks knew, if the man dared to retaliate than this façade he was using would be discovered. For now he had to play the innocent bystander. _

_'Remember Teach, one hair and you die.' He pushed him one last time before disappearing down the corridor and back to the galley. _

He warned the four of them. Not specifically about Teach. But he reminded them to listen to their gut. If something felt wrong, then more than likely it was. He saw an uneasy look between them, and then he looked to Ace.

_'They feel things.' Ace almost grimaced at his wording as he pointed to the two youngest._

_'Feel things?' Shanks questioned looking at Octavia and Luffy. _

_'Like the shadows?' Luffy asked not really sure what they were talking about. But he sort of understood. He did feel things that were different some times. _

_'The one's in your dreams back at Dawn?' Sabo asked and he nodded. _

_'And with Teach.' Ace glared at the two who suddenly looked downwards and towards their feet. _

_'Teach?' he questioned trying to hide his spiking anxiety. He knelt down in front of his niece and placed his hand on her cheek. _

_'Did Mama ever know, when someone was bad?' her voice was barely a whisper but he heard it. He heard every single word that she had said and admitted too. It seemed that Lisara's amazing intuition about people had rubbed off on her daughter. _

_'She did,' he whispered and saw a small hint of fear behind her eyes. Luffy grabbed her hand as they both kept quiet. _

_'You too Luffy?' he asked and the boy nodded again but wouldn't speak. _

_'Do not be afraid of what you feel. Do not act on it straight away but never, and I mean it, never ignore those feelings. Trust in yourselves.' He leant forwards and pressed a small kiss into her forehead and reeled back and ruffled Luffy's hair. _

_'Don't let them ignore it. Trust them when they feel this way too.' He spoke looking to Sabo and Ace who nodded firmly. He wanted all but to tell them that Teach was bad news. That they should stick clear of him at all costs, but it seemed that they already knew this. _

But he couldn't dwell on the, what if's, or the potential threats that were at the moment out of his hands. He had to trust in Whitebeard, and the so called Guardian commanders, and that they would take care of the four of them. Even seeing that final last goodbyes, he knew that those four commanders would sacrifice their own lives for those four brats. And for now that was good enough for him.

Now, he was heading back to the East Blue. He had things to do and he had to be careful from this day onwards. He now had something very, very valuable to lose.

He couldn't be as reckless as he had been in the last ten years.

Now he had a mission to complete.

But first off he had to make a few detours to a few people. A certain marine Admiral, a barmaid and an old friend.

And he had a lot of information to gather before he started adding names to his list. He had to be sure that the names he found weren't covers. Hell knows that he had found many escape goats in his time searching for the truth. Trust the World Government to hide behind their lies and money.

His looked down at his wrist and saw four small braided pieces of leather all intertwined together to form a bracelet. Orange, blue, red and yellow. One colour represent each of his precious brats. One colour for each of the lives he vowed to protect.

A small part of him was glad that Octavia had found a home on the Moby Dick. A very, very small part. For he knew that the path he was about to take was not for her to be caught up in.

His plan for vengeance and revenge.

* * *

_**"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."**_

* * *

_**Thanks everyone :D**_

_**Hope you liked it :D I could not take the four away from the Whitebeard Pirates :p and I think most of you all knew that anyways :P**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers:**_

_**Dayana1997, Goldspark1, ADDBaby, Juliedoo, Sukila - Angel Quartz, artsyari, Son of Whitebeard, Nala1220, Lilnightmare17, RinSlayer, GoldenMelon**_

_**Thanks everyone**_


	22. Chapter 22 - Shanks' Parting Gift

**Hello everyone! 1 day late 0000pppppps :D Well my excuse was I was away for a long weekend. :D Holidays are now strictly over for me though sigh.. back to the real world. **

**Anyone thank you to my loyal people :D **

**Hope you like this next chapter. **

* * *

_**"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be."**_

* * *

A lot had happened, especially in the last twenty-four hours. Ace stared down at the small box in his hands. His eyes analysed the outside of the box for what seemed like hours but in truth were mere seconds. The wood was soft under his touch, not a single splinter could be found. The metal latches that held the lid in place was once a plated gold, now the small rusted steal underneath shone through dominantly. The chest was old, but it was not misused.

But, it wasn't the chest that had him silent as death itself, or had his heart pounding against his rib cage threatening to escape. No, it was what was inside the chest that made him fault. It was a parting gift from Shanks, something that he wasn't sure was real, but he dared not to reopen the box. He could remember vividly what he had seen in those small short seconds.

Shanks had told him that it was a gift. Something that would help him keep his promise to his siblings and to himself. It was going to be able to keep his family safe. It would make him stronger, keep him getting stronger. Or make them rich, either way, the choice was his.

"What are you going to do?" Sabo whispered looking down at the small chest that was gripped tightly in his brother's hands. They all knew what was inside. They had all clearly seen it, they saw its dark red colour as it glowed towards their faces invitingly.

A devil fruit.

"I don't know." Ace whispered looking at the closed lid. His hand rested on top of it and he swore he could almost feel its power seeping through the lids, it was calling him, or mocking him he wasn't sure.

"Why don't you talk to Marco and Papa?" Octavia suggested and he felt himself nod. It was a good idea. He wanted another person's opinion. He wanted someone to tell him that he was crazy for even thinking about eating the fruit right now. He wanted them to tell him that it wouldn't change anything, that it wouldn't help fulfil his dream or his sibling's dreams.

But he knew it would.

He always knew that it could.

He always knew that if he ever had the chance of finding a devil fruit he would eat it. He would use it to become stronger. Stronger to be able to protect everyone he loved, to protect his brothers. And now that drive had only become stronger. But he never thought that he would come across one so early on. Devil fruits were rare, so rare that people back home thought of them as pure myths and legends. He thought he would have had to search for years to even see one let alone have one in his possession, he thought he would be at least in his twenties before he even slightly encounter one.

Pushing off his seat he headed back inside to find the captain and his guardian. He didn't want to admit it out loud. But he wanted their opinions. He wanted another voice, an older voice, to help him make the decisions.

He knew he wasn't an expert in devil fruits and all their facts and fictions. But he knew they could be dangerous, he knew that they could be disastrous. He never wanted to put his family in danger, he never wanted to be the one to hurt them. He would never forgive himself if he lost control and hurt the few people in this world that he cared about.

He needed help.

He needed to know that the old man would keep his promise. Even if it meant protecting them from him. He needed to control whatever power he could potentially receive.

But then again, maybe he would end up with a stupid power.

A frown formed on his face thinking through all the potential horrendous outcomes the fruit could give him. He once heard of a fruit that gave the person the ability to change their voice or their appearance. He knew that it would be useful to some, but for him. He needed an offensive power, not a defensive.

"Ace will eat it." Luffy announced with a grin on his face. His hand was on top of his hat as the wind threatened to rip it away. His eyes were closed as he imagined the power his brother would get. But he knew that nothing would be as cool as being a rubber man.

Sabo looked at him and nodded. They both knew how much he wanted to eat it. Although Sabo had imagined that Ace would have eaten the fruit straight away without a second thought. He hadn't even imagined he would see his older brother glance at them before putting the fruit back into hiding. This new, rational, smart, Ace was a surprise to all of them.

"You think?" Flick asked him.

"Yes," the both answered confidently.

"He would be giving up the chance to swim, for an unknown ability. I don't know if I could make that choice on my own." She sighed. She never had the option of contemplating the pros and cons of eating a devil fruit, in her case it was the only option and she would never regret her parents' choice.

"He would. To some people, that is a small price to pay." Sabo answered, but to him it was a huge price. He would never eat a devil fruit. He looked at his devil fruit siblings and nodded. He would be the one to save them when they were thrown into their biggest weakness.

"You would be the only one left to save us if we fell in the water." She spoke again thinking along the same lines as himself.

"I would." He laughed. "But you could always stay in your shield, maybe grab onto Luffy, while I hauled you out one at a time." He grinned looking at her.

"Of course," she nodded with a grin. She would be safe if she fell in the water, in a small bubble beneath the surface, waiting. But still safe.

"We should have pushed him in the water one last time. I wish I had one more day in the ocean." Luffy laughed while Sabo and Octavia looked at each other while the same plans formed in their minds.

"Namur!"

Sabo flung himself off the figurehead and dashed towards the navigation room with his sister right beside him, which left a stunned Luffy sitting on the figure head rubbing the back of his neck in confusion. They dodged the crew members as they raced towards their guardian. Time was not on their side right now.

"Namur." Sabo panted as they burst through the door, startling everyone.

Namur rushed to him quickly with panic flooding through his eyes. His heart skipped a beat at the sound of his young charge's voice echoing through the navigation room.

"Sabo, what is it?" he knelt down in front of them and let his webbed hands rush over the boy's body and his eyes flicked over to the girl. Trying to figure out the problem or pain instantly.

"How long would it take until we can get to a summer island, preferable uninhabited?" Sabo questioned brushing off his guardians concerns.

"What?"

"Just answer the question, we don't have time to explain." Octavia spat out knowing that any moment her brother could be bitting into the disgusting fruit.

"A week tops," Namur answered. "But, it's not on our route."

"Change course, we'll explain later." Sabo grabbed onto Flick's hand as they rushed from the room and headed towards the captains room.

"I hope were not too late," she whispered.

"Wait for me," Luffy's hands appeared on the railing next to them and then soared his body. Octavia held out her other hand as she snapped Luffy forwards so that he was in line with them. Together they ran as a force directly towards Whitebeard's office.

* * *

"What is this?" Marco stood next to his Pops and stared down at Ace who had planted a small wooden chest on the desk in front of them. He remembered seeing Shanks talking to the boy before he set sail, but thought nothing of it. But now seeing the new chest in front of him, a bad feeling ran though up his spine. A feeling that made him want to grab Ace and the other brats and disappear. And usually his instincts were correct.

"Shanks gave this to me," Ace whispered and opened the chest and revealed his dilemma. Marco's eyes went wide taking in the bright red devil fruit staring back at them.

"That bastard, what does he think he's doing!" Marco slammed the lid back down; not wanting to see that thing a moment longer.

"It's mine." Ace quickly grabbed the chest off the desk and held it protectively against his chest. He didn't think Marco would take it away from him, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"It is yours brat." Whitebeard spoke clearly for both him and Marco.

"You can't seriously think this is a good idea!" Marco snarled looking at his Pops.

"It is not our decision to make." Whitebeard spoke looking at his son. "It is your decision Ace, and no one can make it for you."

"Please just wait a few years, till you're eighteen, or sixteen at least. And then you can decide." Marco moved from behind the desk to crouch down to Ace's level. His hands were on his shoulders as he spoke to him; "This choice will change you for the rest of your life, there is no going back."

"I know." Ace looked at his guardian. "It will make me stronger." He explained.

"You are already strong Ace, and you are growing stronger every single day, a devil fruit will not make you stronger. Only your heart can let you grow." Marco sighed knowing what the boy was thinking. It was exactly what he was thinking when he stumbled across his own devil fruit.

"Did you regret it?" Ace asked him with more seriousness than Marco had ever seen before from him.

"No, but this isn't about me. This is about you."

"I will protect my family. If this can help me protect them, than I want to eat it." Ace spoke clearly and looked from Marco and to Whitebeard.

"That is an honourable reason." Whitebeard smiled down at him which only caused Marco to sigh.

"Will you help me, control it I mean?" Ace asked so softly that Marco barely heard him. It was the first time that Marco had heard the boy ask for help. Since the moment the four brats had come aboard, there hadn't been a single time Ace had admitted he needed them. He was so independent it was scary so.

"Of course I will." Marco smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. He would respect whatever decision he made. "Never doubt that, Ace. I will always be there to help you."

"Alright." Ace smirked and flipped open the lid. He looked down at the glowing fruit with a smile.

This was it.

This was the moment that he would change his life forever.

This was where everything would change for the better.

He would be stronger.

He would be able to protect his siblings.

He handed the chest to Marco who held it out before him. Slowly he lifted the fruit up with both his hands secured firmly around it. It was warmer than he thought it would be. He lifted it to his eyes level and let his eyes scan over the swirly patterns on the outside. Maybe it was something to do with water? Maybe he could be immune to the ocean? Control the ocean. That would be pretty cool.

"Here it goes." He closed his eyes and opened his mouth.

"Please don't be something stupid," he whispered to himself. He knew it was going to taste bad. He knew it was going to taste worse than anything he had ever tasted before. But he didn't care.

"Stop!"

"Ace!"

Throwing his eyes open he snapped around to the door to see his siblings burst in.

"Don't eat it!" Luffy yelled barrelling forwards and spear tackling him to the ground.

"What the hell." Ace groaned as his body slumped against the hard ground and bounced against his rubber brother's body.

"You can't eat it yet."

He looked up at his sister as she plucked the fruit from his hands and placed it back into the chest Marco was holding, and quickly pulled it into her chest. Her hands were out ready to put her shield around herself and his fruit.

"Why the hell not. It's my choice!" He pushed Luffy off his chest and squared off to his siblings. How dare they tell him that he couldn't eat it? It was his fruit. It was his body.

"Seriously guys this is how you approach it." Sabo sighed looking at his rash siblings. "What we mean is, you can't eat it, yet." Sabo walked forwards and took the box from Flick and handed it over to Marco.

"We want you to eat it, if that's what you want. But all we ask for is one week." Sabo explained to Ace and to Marco and Whitebeard.

"A week?" Marco asked the question everyone was thinking.

"Yes, one week. And then we will dish the fruit up on a platter for you. But that is all we ask." Sabo nodded.

"Papa will keep it safe, so no one steals it or eats it. But we want a week." Octavia spoke up still on the receiving end to her brother's glare.

"Why?" Ace crossed his arms over his chest and eyed off his chest that was being passed to Whitebeard. He made up his mind, he didn't want to wait a week for it now.

"Because we said so." Luffy stamped his foot and glared back at his brother, or at least tried to imitate his brother's glare.

Ace stared at his siblings with a solid scowl on his face. He didn't like being told what he could and could not do. Especially, after he had completely made up his mind. Sabo was smirking at him already knowing that he would agree, but there was no way he was going to make it easy. Flick had her eyebrows raised almost challenging him to say no, and Luffy, he was being Luffy, with his massive grin on his face and bouncing from foot to foot. Sighing he let his arms fall and agreed.

"Fine, but if you so much as take one extra day, I will hunt you all down." Ace glared at each of them. Daring them to break their word. He had no idea what the three of them were planning, or what was so important about an extra week, but he knew that Sabo would have his reasons, and he knew that Octavia probably was in on it too, and that left Luffy to just follow along without a clue in the world.

"Good." Sabo sighed. He wasn't too late.

* * *

_'You're a monster.'_

_'Monsters like you should never have been born.'_

_'Die bitch.'_

Flinging her body forwards she felt her clammy hand grip the front of her nightgown. Her eyes darted over to her brothers who were still sound asleep in their own beds. It had been two days since her uncle had left, and two nights now she had woken with pain gripping her heart. In the beginning she felt happy for her brother receiving the gift from her uncle, but now, now she was petrified.

These last few months had weakened her, they made her believe that the whole world out there was like the life she had now, that it was peaceful and engaging. But she was a fool for believing that. She knew what the world was like outside of the Whitebeard Crew, she knew what it was like to live in a small village and being hunted for the power that stirred within her.

Glancing over at her youngest brother she felt her resolve harden. Even though Luffy had eaten a devil fruit, he was shadowed by his brothers and his uncle's crew. And even after that he was hidden in the mountain where no one knew he existed let alone with a devil fruit.

None of them had witnessed the world she had lived in.

They had seen the smallest of her life aboard the slavers, but that was weeks.

Not months, not years.

People were cruel, they all knew that. But even when you walked in the safety of your own village, with your own friends and family, people still looked at you like a monster. They kept their children as far away from you as possible. They were shunned in their eyes.

She didn't want that for her brother.

She didn't care about the supposed power that the fruit was going to give him. She didn't care. Nothing could be worse than that hollow look in people's eyes as they looked through you. Nothing could compare to the look of absolutely worthlessness that people gave you. To be treated as something worse than the dirt between their toes. To be unhuman.

To be a monster.

Slipping out from her bed she crept in the darkness towards the small candle that was always lit on her side table. Even after all this time she still couldn't sleep without there being some form of light in their darkness. She never wanted to be stuck in complete darkness ever again. She never wanted to be blinded again.

Picking up the candle she moved out of their bedroom and into the corridors. She could hear the snores of the crew behind the doors as she headed towards the deck. She needed to see the stars, she needed the air around her to remind her that she was safe.

As soon as she stepped out into the surprisingly clear warm night she felt all her anxiety slowly start to fade away. Flickering up to the top of the mast she sat down on the wooden beam and let her hands grip on the wood beneath her.

Closing her eyes she felt the wind brush through her hair and a smile littered on her face, this was freedom. This was exactly what she needed to ground herself again, what she needed to block out the voices of the people that haunted her nightmares.

"That's where you are," glancing down she saw her brother staring up at her.

"Sabo," she whispered into the night as he lifted his hand towards her. A clear sign for her to help him up to her. Throwing her shield down to her brother she waited until he was clearly inside before flickering him to sit next to her. He wobbled at first before he found his balance and she released him from her shield.

"I don't know if I will ever get used to that," Sabo laughed lightly as he sat down beside her.

That was another thing on her mind. With everything circling back to their devil fruits she looked down at her hands that held the power of her mother's devil fruit. Her shield was more than just a simple shield, it was solid air. Air that her mother controlled whilst pregnant with her.

"Nightmare?" Sabo whispered looking at his sister. It had been a long time since she had woken with a nightmare and not told one of them. But he knew that there was something on his sister's mind. Hell, there had to be a million and one thoughts running through her mind at the moment.

"Memory," she whispered to him not taking her eyes off the scene in front of them. Slipping closer to her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her gently into his side. Her cheek pressed against his bare chest and he tucked her head under his chin. He wrapped as much of his jacket as he could around her but the night was not that cold.

"I've lived this life, Sabo. I'd been to islands with this power and I saw the way people looked at me. I heard what they said about me when I walked by, or what they would say about my mother or my friends." Her voice cracked and he felt her hands squeeze against his jacket. "There was a reason we lived deep into the fields. My mother hid me not only because of the World Government, but because of the villagers. Not everyone accepted us." There was a silence in the air and she looked to him.

"I don't want him to eat it." She whispered causing his eyes to widen.

"Ace?" he questioned making sure that he understood what she had confessed. That was the last thing that he thought she had been thinking about. But he shouldn't have been all that surprised, she always put his brothers and himself before her.

"He's a monster. He doesn't deserve to live." Her heart broke as the words left her mouth in disgust. "That's what they'll say. That's what they said about me. I don't want Ace to hear those comments. He's not like Luffy who will brush it off with a smile. He's like me, we feel it down to the bone. It effects everything we do or how we act."

Sabo stared down at his sister and felt her body tremble. His arms wrapped around her tighter as she fought with her own demons. He couldn't imagine what she had been through all those years. But, she was wrong, Ace knew what it was like already. But that was his secret to tell.

"It won't be like that." He spoke hoping to try and clear her thoughts. "He has us, he has the entire Whitebeard Crew, and Shanks' crew. He won't be alone to face all of those people."

"Maybe," she whispered after the long silence.

"No maybe's, we won't let those words affect him. And we won't let them affect you either Octavia. You are not a monster, you do deserve this life we have all found together. And there is no one in this world that can ever take that away from us." He sighed letting his cheek press against her hair.

"Luffy's the only one who's allowed to ruin our lives." He joked and finally got a small laugh from her.

* * *

Ace woke up with a start, his hands were shaking worse than they had in the last few months. His eyes darted around the room and saw two of his siblings beds empty. Luffy was loudly snoring just next to him, so he knew that nothing bad could have happened. His youngest brother was a magnet for danger, or better yet, he knew where danger was happening around him and went straight for it.

Slipping out from his bed, he quietly made his way out of their shared bedroom, he didn't want to wake Luffy, or else he would never get him back to bed. Moving through the darkened hallways he searched for his missing siblings. It wasn't too uncommon for them, especially Flick, to wind up in the galley either looking for something to eat, or something to cook.

But tonight it felt different.

Making his way up to the galley he paused hearing the sounds of their voices in the night. Glancing up he could see them both sitting high up on the mast, both looking out onto the ocean before them. A small smile made its way onto his face. There was one thing that his brothers and he all had in perfect similarity, and that was the love for the sea, the freedom they felt when they were on it or purely looking at it.

He stepped out of the shadows and prepared to shout out to his sister, but he stopped himself.

"I don't want him to eat it."

"Ace?" Sabo spoke the words that was right on the tip of his own tongue. He wanted to hear her reasoning's.

"He's a monster. He doesn't deserve to live."

His hand was frozen in mid-air ready to signal to his siblings that he was there. But the words were caught in his throat.

_Doesn't deserve to live._

_He's a monster._

_Monster._

His hands began to shake as he stepped back into the shadows. All his life he had heard those words over and over again. He didn't deserve to live. With the blood that ran through his veins; he should never have been born.

Turning away he disappeared back into the darkness of the ship and tried to block out the rest of the conversation behind him. His heart pounded in his chest over and over again. Her words and voice repeated on a constant loop.

He never thought his sister would think that of him.

He always thought she would accept him.

She would accept the truth about him.

Dashing through the hallways he found himself in the deepest storage room. Shutting the door behind him he sunk to the ground and let his back serve as the barrier to the outside world.

_He's a monster._

_He's a monster._

_Monster._

_Monster._

He banged his head with every word that plagued his mind. Over and over it ripped a new piece of his heart. All this time he knew what he was, he knew exactly what he had done and who he had killed to be able to live.

But Sabo and Luffy shaded him from those thoughts. They convinced him that he was one of them. That he deserved to live because of them. He was their older brother. He lived to protect them. Lived to see them reach their goals.

But he was wrong.

He was a fool into believe that dream.

Unwanted tears flooded down his face as his teeth gripped into his lips until he felt the rusty taste of his blood pool around his tongue.

It hurt.

Everything hurt.

* * *

Luffy was confused.

Meal times were always one of his favourite times with his siblings. He loved seeing the rush for the best pieces of food and then the yelling backwards and forwards about which of it tasted better. But today there was complete silence.

He looked to Sabo who was sitting opposite him who was sneaking glances back and forth from Ace and Flick. Something was going on, he knew that much. Looking at Ace he knew instantly that his brother was pissed off about something, it was the same look as when he accidently ate their entire food storage back in their tree house, or when he was eaten by the crocodile.

It wasn't meant to be this way.

Seeing his brother's defenceless plate, he sneaked his hand along the table and towards Ace's piece of bacon just waiting for be stolen. His fingers gripped onto the piece of meat when a knife pierced the wooden table where his hand was not a fraction of a second ago.

"Ace!" Flick's voice shouted horrified at what had happened.

"Don't touch my food." Ace glared at him and he felt himself nod. It was the rules. If you got caught, you don't get the other persons food, but if you got away with it.

"What the hell were you thinking, you could have seriously hurt him." Octavia was now standing up and had her hands flat on the table glaring at Ace.

"Shut up." Ace growled causing the entire room to silence.

Octavia stumbled back a bit under her brother's gaze. She had seen this fury before, she had seen it countless times, but never had he directed it towards her. This Ace scared her.

"Ace," her voice whispered losing all traces of the anger she felt moments ago. Now she pleaded to her brother.

"Watch what you say to me, Flick." He snarled out her name like poison.

"Ace, that's enough." Sabo stepped in and stepped in front of his sister blocking out Ace's glare. He had no idea what had gotten into his head, but turning on their siblings was not something he was going to stand for.

"Typical, you were always too easy on the weak ones weren't you, Sabo." Ace stood up and pushed away from the table.

"Leave now." Sabo growled.

"Fine," Ace pushed back and stormed out of the galley leaving his siblings behind trembling.

"Flick," Luffy whispered looking at his sister. She had her arms wrapped around her stomach, as if she was holding herself together. He only ever saw her doing this when she woke from a nightmare, or when something really scared her. Slipping over the table he wrapped his arms around her and felt her cling to him.

"I'm going to see if Lyon needs any help." She kissed his forehead before disappearing through the kitchen doors.

"Ace," Luffy growled looking back and forth between the kitchen door and the galley exit. He didn't like seeing his siblings fight. But this time was different, it wasn't something like a stolen cupcake this was something different. And he didn't know how to fix it.

"Sabo," he spoke looking up to his brother for the answers. Sabo was the smart one out of them all. He would know what to do.

"Give him time to cool down, then, we will speak to him." Sabo spoke not looking at him but at the exit. But he did notice the way his body shook slightly and his hands were balled into fists. "Why don't you go keep Flick company, I'll come get you before we see Ace." Sabo finally looked at him and gave him a small nudge towards his sister.

* * *

Luffy sat on the counter in the kitchen with his hat on his head and his arms crossed over his chest. Three days ago he declared himself a true captain, or that he would be one when he grew up. But he would start acting like one now. And that meant protecting his nakama and making sure that they were happy at all times.

He watched as his sister walked through the kitchen, knowing where absolutely everything was. It was quite amazing watching her creating recipes out of her head, she didn't even need to look at the lines of books that stacked above the counter tops.

"Here taste this," he blinked and saw her standing in front of him with a wooden spoon held up to his mouth. Grinning he reached forwards and licked the chocolate off the spoon.

"Maybe I need to test it again. Something wasn't right." He tried to hold back his smile but he ended up laughing anyways.

"Then I'm sure it taste right if you're asking for more," she whacked the end of the spoon against his cheek but smiled. He watched her spread the batter into separate pans. He couldn't wait until they were all done. He loved all the food that was a given to him, but his sister's cooking was something out of this world. Even when the other chefs prepared the same food, he could always tell which ones his sister had cooked.

"Here," she handed him the empty bowl, but he eyed the leftovers that scraped the sides of the bowl and the wooden spoon.

"Thanks Flick." He beamed and let his tongue stretch to lick every last bit of her cooking.

"Anytime Lu," she laughed and went back to her fresh ingredients.

"Luffy," his head snapped up just as he finished licking the spoon to see Sabo standing at the door. It was time.

"I'll be back when they're done." He bounded off the counter and pressed a kiss into his sister's cheek before following his brother out of the kitchen.

* * *

Sabo sat in the same spot in the galley and let his head hang in his hands. He never in his life remembered seeing Ace glare at someone he loved like that. He never ever gave off that threatening aura to any of them, and that was saying something. He and Luffy had done some pretty stupid things in the past, especially Luffy. So what happened to make his brother turn on them now, and mainly Flick?

He ran his mind through everything that had happened over the past few days, weeks even and it was more than they ever imagined to discover. The only thought that managed to seem somewhat plausible was the discovery of Flicks heritage. Her grandfather was Silvers Rayleigh; who was first mate to Gol D Roger, who was Ace's father.

Ace despised anything and everything that associated with that man. But he never thought that would include Flick?

That was the only thought that seemed somewhat possible to make his brother change so suddenly. When anything concerning his blood father arose, Ace changed. He went defensive and possessive. But he never thought that he would turn on Flick – even if she was blood to someone who was loyal to Roger.

Sighing he let his forehead fall onto the wooden table. His family was never simple and this was the family he had chosen too.

He looked out the windows and noticed the sun was slowly starting to set. It was almost sun down. Pushing back from his chair he headed for the kitchen. It was time to talk to his brother and find out some answers, and then he would knock some sense into him if need be.

When he pushed through the doors and into the kitchen a smile finally made its way onto his face. He watched as Luffy sat protectively watching over their sister with a face full of chocolate. And by the small humming from their sister, proved that Luffy's company was enough to bring a small smile back onto her face.

Luffy definitely had that way with people. He was such a calming presence.

As they walked together towards their joined room they shared a knowing look. They would get answers if it was the last thing they did and then they would make sure that their older brother grovelled at their sister's feet and beg for forgiveness.

Stepping into their room they were met with their brother sitting on the bed nearest the window with his arms wrapped around his knees. If Sabo wasn't here to knock sense into his brother, he would have been concerned with his silence.

"What do you want?" Ace snarled not even looking at them.

"Answers." Sabo stepped forwards and closed the door behind them. There was no dancing around the topic, they were here for answers and that was it.

"Go away."

"Shut up Ace. Why were you mean to Flick?" Luffy stepped forwards as his fists began to shake.

"I said go away." Ace growled finally snapping to look at them.

"Ace, what the hell is wrong with you. Octavia is our sister, we're the ones who swore to protect her. And you go and act like a-"

"Like a what? Sabo! Like a monster." Ace jumped to his feet and screamed back at them.

"Monster?" Luffy whispered not liking that word. He looked to Sabo who had the same thoughts running through his mind. They had spent countless days convincing their brother that he wasn't a monster. That he was Ace, he was their brother and that was it.

"You were there weren't you?" Sabo's eyes narrowed as he snapped at his brother, finally putting the pieces together. And now he was angrier than he was before. "You were listening to us!"

"Monsters deserve to die. That's what she said. She called me a monster." He finally snapped and yelled at them.

"Flick would never say that!" Luffy yelled back with equal volume. He had enough of his brother's words.

"She's right isn't she? I'm just a heartless monster. A monster who doesn't deserve to live. And you just stood there and said nothing. I believed in you."

"You asshole." Sabo snapped and pounced on his brother. His fists flew forwards and connected with his cheek and then his stomach.

"She was worried about you." He span around quickly and kicked his brother's leg out and connected with his stomach sending him backwards into the wall.

"If you had listened to the entire conversation you would have heard everything!" Sabo stood panting in front of Ace who was now collapsed on the ground with his head hanging low. He could see the small trail of blood that dripped from his mouth.

Sabo took in a deep breath and crouched down to look at his brother at his own level. He needed him to see the truth, to realise exactly what he had done.

"Flick woke up from memories of her past, of the people in her village tormenting her, of the men who took her, they called her a monster, they told her that she didn't deserve to live, that she was an abomination. She didn't want that for you, she was so scared that you would be called those things it made her sick to her stomach." Sabo spoke and saw the realisation hit his brother.

"Flick is kind, she would never hurt anyone, especially us." Luffy stepped forwards and flanked him.

"Oh god." Ace whimpered and his whole body started shaking. "What have I done?"

"You were her older brother. You were meant to protect her." Sabo added the next jab purposely to hurt his brother, with emphasise on, were – past tense. He wanted him to feel the full extent of his actions. He knew that Flick would forgive him in a heartbeat, but he wanted to make sure that Ace understood the full consequences of his actions.

"Except you shunned her, you glared at her like she was trash. Fuck, you scared her, you scared our little sister." He added salt to the wounds.

"You hurt Flick." Luffy added his own insult and it seemed to make an even deeper wound. If Luffy could see the depth of hurt that he caused their sister, than it truly was worse.

"I'm sorry." Ace whimpered as his hands covered his face. "What have I done?"

"You could have lost her Ace. You could still lose her." Sabo spoke and his face instantly snapped to his.

"I have to see her." Ace scrambled to his feet and wiped the blood that fell from his nose. "Where is she?" he asked desperately.

"Kitchen." Luffy and Sabo answered together and watched as he disappeared out of the bedroom. They looked at each other with a small grin on their faces.

"Shall we go watch Ace grovel?" Sabo smirked as they followed after their brother.

Ace ran through the hallways as his eyes burned. He was a fool. He was bigger than any fool. He should have trusted his siblings, he should have trusted them to never believe that about him. But then he went and proved them all wrong, he wasn't the monster because of his heritage, he was a monster for how he treated his family.

Pushing through the galley doors he bounded to the kitchen.

"Flick!" he pushed open the doors and his eyes roamed around the room trying to spot his red headed sister.

"She's not here Ace," Lyon appeared with a white towel in his hands. But that wasn't what his eyes focused on it was the blood that was seeping through the towel.

"Where is she?" he whispered looking around the room and that's when he spotted the knife on the counter with a pool of blood around it.

"Thatch took her down to the infirmary she- Ace wait."

He ignored Lyon as his heart pounded in his chest. He raced through the galley as his ears began to ring. He knew whose blood that was before he even asked.

Flick was hurt.

Flick was bleeding.

His sister.

His baby sister.

"Ace?" Sabo stood frozen in the hallway as he flew passed them.

"She's hurt." Was all he could say as he flew down the several flights of stairs to get to the lower deck.

She's hurt.

She's bleeding.

Did she do it to herself?

Did she hate him that much?'

Pain flooded through his chest as the infirmary door appeared before him. Pushing it open he flew through the room searching for her.

"Stop, that hurts!"

He froze hearing his sister's voice pleading.

"Flick," his voice lowered as he stalked closer to the closed off curtain. His throat closed up as he prepared himself for what he was about to see. She wasn't meant to be in the infirmary. She was healed. She was meant to be safe.

"Ace?" she called for him. He could hear the pain in her voice and the fear. He put that there. He never wanted to hear his sister's feared voice because of him.

He really was a monster.

Pulling the curtain back inch by inch, he opened his eyes and froze.

"What the hell happened to you!" she pointed at him in her famous pissed off glare. "Dammit Lia that hurts."

Ace saw everything clearly now. Lia was working on her arm that was covered in small scratches.

"What happened?" he ignored her questions and slowly walked to stand beside her bed, her good hand instantly moved to his and gripped it tightly. It was second nature for her to reach for him, reach to him as her big brother. Guilt ran through his veins as she acted as if nothing was wrong, as if he didn't treat her like his enemy.

"I'm an idiot. I slipped on a towel and fell into a glass mixing bowl, and I just so happened to be carrying a knife." She spoke as her face reddened in embarrassment. He watched her wince as Lia picked another piece of glass from her arm and dropped it into a bowl next to them. He stood silently next to her and watched as her arm was ridden of the glass and wrapped tightly in bandages.

"Hey," his eyes moved to hers as she spoke softly. "Are you okay?" she whispered gripping his hand tighter and nudged it closer to the bed. He moved without hesitation and knelt down beside her.

Looking up he noticed that Lia was gone and they were alone in the small cornered off room. His eyes ran over the bandaged section of her arm and guilt rose up in him. Not once in her life has she ever hurt herself in the kitchen. Not even a scratch or a burn. She was a natural in the kitchen. But he knew, he knew that it was him that caused her to be distracted.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and then a single tear fell, followed by another and another. His hand moved to her bandaged arm and hovered slightly above it. He never meant to hurt her, he never wanted to be the cause of her pain. "Please forgive me."

"Ace," Octavia panicked and pulled her crying brother onto the bed and he fell against her lap. She wrapped her good arm around him as he clung to her, his voice repeated over and over again about how sorry he was.

"Ace, speak to me." She whispered trying hard to fight back her own tears. "What happened?" She had never seen Ace fall apart. Not with the slavers, not with the rescue, not when she left.

"I heard you and Sabo. I heard you call me a monster and I left. I didn't wait to hear anymore. I thought – I thought."

"You thought I hated you." She gasped and clung to her brother more. "God you're an idiot." She whispered sliding down a bit so they lay side by side. Her hand moved to cover his tear stained cheek and forced him to look at her.

"I was scared." She admitted. She never wanted any of her brothers to go through what she went through. She never wanted them to think that they didn't deserve to live.

"I'm so sorry, I never meant to scare you." Ace rubbed his eyes finally gaining some form of composure over himself. "I promise I'll never-"

"Not of you idiot, I was scared for you. You're not a monster. You never were and you won't become one when you eat that devil fruit – but people won't see you anymore." She whispered her truth. She told him everything, told him what people called her what they thought of her.

"You're not a monster either." Ace cupped her cheek and wiped her tears now, mimicking her actions. "You're my sister, my smart, idiotic, talented sister. Only I can call tease you." He smiled at her laugh.

"And you're my brother." She closed her eyes and he pulled her onto his chest. Her bandaged arm rested across his chest and he wrapped his arms around her protectively. He would keep her safe. He would always keep her safe.

"I'm sorry, I promise I'll be a better brother." He whispered but only felt her nod against his chest. He guessed the pain meds Lia had given to her were starting to work. Sighing he worked his way into a comfortable position and held onto his little sister.

He couldn't believe how close he could have come to losing her. He could have lost of her in a blink of an eye, or worse lost her trust. He vowed to be a better brother from now on, he vowed to never let his sister, or brother's down again.

"You better keep that promise." He opened his eyes and saw his brothers standing at the end of the bed.

"I will."

"You're going to tell her the truth aren't you?" Sabo spoke clearly not leaving any room for him to negotiate or refuse. He would be telling his sister the truth about his father, and soon.

"Yes," he whispered and looked down at his sleeping sister. But this time he knew better than before. Flick would never push him away, she wouldn't abandon him when she finds out.

She was one of a kind.

* * *

_**"It was once said that love is giving someone the ability to destroy you, but trusting them not to."**_

* * *

**So what did you think?**

**Don't know if anyone saw that coming, so Shanks gives Ace the devil fruit :D :D**

**Is it the mera mera... or is it another kind... that someone else wants... dun dun dun**

**Little more background for Flick and her life with her mother now that she remembers it all. **

**Sabo the counselor :D **

Thank you too: WhiteSakura59, TDI-Ryro-Eclares, Nala, GoldenMelon, Addbaby, Dayana1997, Crazed AJ, Goldspark, Shadow2Wolf, Lilnightmare17, ChildhoodFun, Fangs of death, Chibi no baka, Rinslayer, Guesty Guests :D

Thanks people - Note - If you ask me questions - leave long reviews i will respond, unless you're not logged in. :D

**Next up: The Surprise Devil Fruit **


	23. Chapter 23 - Day 5

**Hello everyone :D **

**Not much to say today :D but I hate reality aka the working reality and bills reality. :D **

**Hope you enjoy the next chapter - Little note at bottom if you want to read. **

* * *

_**"Things do not change. We change."**_

* * *

The five days disappeared quicker than anything, and Ace didn't enjoy the disappearance of his siblings from the moment breakfast passed, till the moment they went to bed. He didn't blame them, or yell at them like he would usually do. He still had not forgiven himself from what happened the other night, even though his siblings had, he could not move past it just yet. But it was enough for him to think about what he did or said, especially to his siblings, after all they were his everything.

He watched and tried to listen to their many conversations with the other guardians. But he didn't persist to knowing as much as what he would have. He doesn't like surprises. But this time he would let his siblings decide.

Today was day five.

Today was the day he was allowed to eat his devil fruit.

Today was the day he would change.

He lay in his bed with his eyes closed, his hands behind his head and a content smile on his face. He could hear his siblings trying hard not to reveal their morning plans as they moved around the room but he didn't dare disturb them. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that something was happening today and he would go with the flow and let them have their so called surprise breakfast, or presents that they had hurriedly organised. He would let them have their fun and then he would be free to eat his fruit.

"Now."

His eyes flashed open only to be spear tackled by his youngest brother and his eyes were quickly covered by a piece of cloth. His body was pinned down by the likes of his brothers and he could feel Flick tying the material around his eyes.

"You okay?" she whispered to him with a hint of worry. "I can take it off," he shook his head quickly and lent into her hands as she worked. He knew what being blinded meant to her, so he would make this as easy as possible for her. Plus he didn't mind the dark. It didn't affect him at all compared to his younger siblings.

"I'm fine, Flick." He smiled and he felt her breath against his neck as she sighed in relief and felt her forehead press against his own. It was their way of showing each other that they were alright. He had first seen her doing this with Luffy, and then Sabo and then him. He had even witnessed Sabo doing it to Luffy in the middle of one of his nightmares. So now, it was their own sign.

"Alright Flick." Sabo commanded and he tried to break away from the ropes that somehow appeared around his entire body like a cocoon.

"Is this really necessary, I can walk." He spoke flatly as he felt his sister's shield wrap around him and lift him from his bed.

"Nope, you're not ruining this surprise." Luffy laughed slightly still sitting on his chest as he floated around the room. He felt like the dead crocs they use to hunt and carried it back to the bandit's house, with Luffy sitting on top of it when he was too small to even reach the tail.

He had to hand it to them, he really had no idea where he was going. He only assumed it was going to be the galley, as Luffy's stomach was making it well known that he was hungry.

Sabo had a smile that could rival that of Luffy's as they walked through the hallways and towards the deck. He watched as they passed other whitebeard pirates and noticed their snickers and laughs as Ace was forcefully dragged about. But no one dared say a thing.

Sabo was pleased, this day had been an absolute mess trying to organise, and he wouldn't have been able to do it without the help from his siblings and their guardians. And of course Whitebeard, it's not every day that a ship like the Moby Dick, could be changed off course for simple kids like them. But they heard their cause and instantly agreed.

"Are we there yet?" Ace grumbled but still held a smile on his face as they burst out on deck. He could feel the sun fall on his face and he knew that they were now on the deck and heading across the deck and towards the galley. He knew the way like the back of his hand, even if he was still floating in the air.

"You are going to stand still and not run away." He heard Flick's voice speak firmly and he found himself nodding. His feet slowly touched the ground and it took him a second to try and balance himself without the use of his arms to help. He heard Luffy plonk down in front of him and start to untie the ropes that were around his ankles.

"Do not move." She reminded him and he found himself rolling his eyes behind the mask. The ropes slowly slide from his body and he heard them drop around his bare feet. He let his head tilt back and let the sun shine down on his face and bare chest. His arms slowly spread apart as his basked in the heat that he was so looking forwards to. It seemed like forever since they had been in a warm climate. He didn't like the snow, and he would be in no hurry to go back to a winter island.

"Flick?" he spoke hesitantly as his body was wrapped once again her shield.

"Do you trust us?" she whispered and he nodded. Of course he did.

"Say it." Sabo spoke from somewhere beside him.

"I trust you." He followed their orders and he felt the wind brush through the shield around them. He was really starting to get nervous as to what his siblings had planned. It wasn't the breakfast that he had imagined.

"Good." Luffy giggled suspiciously from next to him and then he really started to get worried.

"Have fun," Luffy laughed and then suddenly he was falling. His hands gripped the air around him and found nothing to latch onto. He had no time to scream out when his body crashed.

Water engulfed him all around and his hands instantly ripped off the mask that blocked his vision. The familiar salt burned his eyes as he saw where he was. Pushing his legs he headed to the surface of the water.

"Are you okay!" He looked up and saw his frantic sister all but falling off the railing.

He looked up at the deck of the Moby Dick and saw the entire Whitebeard Crew all there peering down at him with smiles on their faces.

"What the hell?" was the only words that he could get out of his mouth, even though it was with a slight laugh.

"We wanted you to have one last day in the water." Sabo replied while ripping off is jacket and passed his hat to Marco.

"Before it was too late." Luffy grinned looking down at him.

"Cannon ball!" Sabo screamed and launched himself off the side of the ship. Ace laughed as a wave pushed him under the water.

Octavia sat on the railing of the Moby Dick and watched as her siblings played around in the water below. She was glad that they had managed to give him just one last day to remember being in the water before the devil fruit ripped him of that privilege.

"I miss swimming." Luffy mumbled from beside her with a small pout on his face. "I was the fastest kid in my village too."

"Yes, but you have the power of rubber now." Izo appeared behind him and placed his hands on his shoulders. She wasn't sure if this was too help comfort her brother or to make sure that he didn't fall overboard.

"That's right." Luffy beamed looking up and at his commander.

"I've never been in the ocean before." She whispered letting a small pang of jealously hit her as she stared as her brothers who floated in the water like it was nothing. To her, the sea was her worst enemy. "Not by choice anyway." She remembered the countless times she had been forced into the ocean as punishments. Or when they had escaped. But someone always held onto her.

"Never?" Thatch wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders and bent down to her level. She leant back into his chest and nodded.

"I was a baby when I ate the devil fruit remember. And before that my parents had to fake that I had already eaten one." She sighed. She always wanted to know what it felt like. To be absolutely weightless and to let the currents take its course. She imagined it was somewhat like being in her shield, but she still had to have a sense of control when she was inside it.

"But sea stone doesn't work on you?" Marco spoke from next to her as he stayed leaning over the railing. His eyes rarely moving off Ace and Sabo and the few other pirates that had joined them in the water below. He was happy to see that Namur was down there with them, he knew that if anything was to surprise them that he would get them out of there as soon as possible.

"No, but I can still feel it." She mumbled not liking that cold metal that seemed to make her feel weak. But it never did have the same effect on her as what it did on everyone else. "I'd imagine it's the feeling of being drunk." She laughed.

"Have you tried swimming?" Thatch mumbled, "Maybe it will be the same?" he looked at her and she shrugged.

"Maybe," she whispered looking down at the ocean. Water scared her. Plain water was fine, she bathed in it daily and it never affected her. But salt water was dangerous. She could remember countless talks from her Uncle and Mother about staying clear from the ocean and not to go to close to the cliffs that surrounded their island.

"Let's go get the food ready. No doubt they're going to be starving by the time they get out." Marco laughed. The three guardians all bid their farewell and told everyone that the breakfast feast would begin shortly. She could see the lines of tables that had been placed on the deck to create a lovely party feel to the Moby Dick.

"Why don't you try?" her head snapped to Luffy who was grinning at her.

"Try what?" She could just see it in his eyes the plan forming.

"Swimming." He stated flatly. "You never know till you actually try."

"No you don't mister." She clutched onto the railing with dear life as her brother slowly slid closer to her.

"Luffy," she warned as he laughed.

"Don't." She spoke firmer.

"It's okay, Sabo and Ace are down there too. Lots of people swim while being drunk." He lifted his hands off the railing and placed them on her shoulders. She wanted to run away. Her eyes looked down at the water below and she wanted to scream.

"That's not the same Lu."

"Trust me." Luffy pouted and it was the last thing she saw before his hands pushed her forwards and off the railing. A scream burst through her lips as she saw the water rushing towards her.

"Flick!"

Her legs plunged into the water first and then her whole body was submerged. Her hands flayed around her trying to pull her shield around her. Her eyes burst open and she could see her brothers swimming towards her desperately.

Her body sunk deeper and deeper as her legs tried to mimic their actions. She wanted to kick. She needed to. She felt the familiar ripple through her body and then her lungs gasped at the air that surrounded her. She sat in her shield as the water drained from around her and disappeared into the ocean surrounding her.

"Octavia are you alright?" Namur appeared in front of her and had his hands on her shield ready to catch her if it dropped.

"I'm going to kill Luffy." She panted and looked up through her shield at the mass of water that was still above her. She could see the outlined of a blurred ship and small smudges of people running around frantically.

"Can you bring yourself up?" Namur asked and she nodded. Slowly she tugged at her shield and it pulled her through the water and towards the surface of the ocean. She could see two sets of small legs kicking frantically above her.

"Flick!" she opened the top of her shield so that she was sitting just on top of the surface of the water. Her head snapped up to her younger brother who was grinning like mad.

"Monkey D Luffy!" She yelled pushing herself to her feet. "You are in so much trouble when I get up there."

"But you could move!" Luffy pointed to her.

"Luffy you are an idiot!" Ace screamed as he climbed onto her small float.

"Are you okay?" his hands moved over her arms as he assessed her for damage.

"I'm fine, but we're about to be a family of three." She hissed up at her brother.

"I admit that Luffy is an idiot, but he was right."

Ace and her eyes snapped to Sabo who was still in the water but clinging onto her float.

"Excuse me?" she gasped.

"You were kicking Flick, you actually moved in the water. Only a few inches up but you still moved." Sabo let his elbows rest on the float. "And you used your shield, which means that the ocean doesn't completely suck up your powers. Not like Luffy or other fruit users."

"We know that already, she used it on Luffy when we escaped." Ace sat down on the float and pulled her down with him.

"I always thought that was mainly due to the adrenaline and the fear of dying, but maybe it is like the sea stone cuffs, maybe it will just weaken you a little, or a lot. But I guess maybe it's like training." Sabo explained and she looked at the water surrounding her.

"What are you doing!" Ace pounced on her foot that she slowly let slip into the water.

"Trying." She groaned and let both her legs hang over her float. "God help me." She shook her head and slowly edged closer and closer to the water.

"Hold up," Sabo swam around to her side and gripped her hand.

"Luffy is still dying." She replied flatly as she pushed herself into the water. Sabo's hands quickly pulled her head above the surface of the water and she clung to him and to Ace who quickly grabbed her other hand.

Namur appeared in front of her, with his arms ready to catch her if her brothers were to fail.

"How do you feel?" he asked with concern.

"Dizzy, I think. It feels like there's an elephant sitting on my chest." She wasn't too sure how to describe the feeling. It was like her stomach sunk to the bottom of the ocean floor but her head was clear. It was weird. If this what is was like to be drunk, she never wanted to try it. Being somewhat in control of your body but it didn't always listen to what your brain wanted it to do.

"Try kicking your legs back and forth, bend them slightly at the knee." Namur instructed and she watched as his legs waded in the water easily. Slowly her legs seemed to cooperate with her and moved in the water. Not as fast as the others, but enough to make some form of movement in the water.

"Holy shit." Sabo gasped looking at his devil fruit powered sister, kicking in the water without sinking like an anchor.

"What the hell, you can swim." Ace smiled and kept his shock at bay.

"I'd hardly call this swimming," she panted, she could start to feel the effects of the water getting to her. "I feel like I've just had ten sessions with Drill Sergeant Marco."

"Alright, that's enough for now." Namur interjected and swam forwards. His arms wrapped around her and she let go of her brothers and clung onto her guardian. Her body was begging her to get out of the water.

"Can you flicker back up?" he asked moving towards the ship where the other guardians waited anxiously.

"I don't think so," she mumbled a little disappointed. The ocean was still her weakness. She could survive for a few seconds maybe, but should couldn't save another or herself for long periods of time.

"Hang on alright." Namur shifted her onto his back and she wrapped her arms around his neck, and even that was beginning to become a struggle. The rope ladder had been lowered for them and he climbed them both out of the water and towards the deck. As soon as her legs were free from the water she could feel her strength return to her pretty quickly.

Ace stared in complete shock as his sister was dragged from the water. He looked to Sabo who was wearing the same dumbstruck look as he was.

"She swam." He mumbled and he could see that his brother's mind was working in circles thinking of all the possibilities that their sister had now uncovered.

"It also makes her more of a target." Sabo whispered and finally looked to Ace. They knew her story and they knew why the World Government hunted her so dangerously, but if they caught wind that not only did she manage to possess her mother's devil fruit ability while she was unborn and then now to be able to defy all weapons against devil fruit users, she was going to be in even more trouble.

She would be hunted even more.

"We'll protect her." Ace spoke firmly as he watched Thatch scoop up his sister in a towel. There were many strong pirates aboard that ship as well as Shanks and his crew, they would go to the ends of the world to help protect her, and he was going to be one of them.

"We will." Sabo responded with absolute certainty.

"Should we go rescue Luffy?" Ace laughed seeing Flick threatening to throw Luffy overboard. But everyone knew, including Luffy, that she would never do it. She was too soft on the youngest of the wolfpack, and everyone knew that too.

"Yeah, plus we have a breakfast feast." Sabo grinned at his brother.

"Thanks Sabo." Ace spoke sincerely. It was the best thing that his siblings could have done for him, and it was something that he was never going to forget.

* * *

Ace stared at the box in front of him. The day had disappeared faster than he would have liked it too, but now was the moment. His siblings sat in front of him completing their usual circle. Their guardians all standing behind each of them, with Whitebeard sitting in his thrown like chair overlooking all of them.

"You ready?" Sabo asked quietly.

"What if it's something stupid?" he whispered to only his siblings. What if he had a stupid ability that didn't help them out at all, what if his power only hindered them instead of helped.

"It looks pretty cool," Luffy stated as though it was the answer that solved everything.

"It's red." Flick added with a small smirk. He glanced at his sister and as she rolled her eyes. "You've already decided to eat it. So what's with the drama?"

"Thanks, Flick." He rolled his eyes. But she was right, he had already made his decision.

"You don't have to eat it right now, you know that right?" Sabo inserted making sure that his brother had all his options laid out in front of him. "We could find out what it is before you ate it, if you wanted too."

"No, Shanks gave this to me. He told me it would help protect my precious people." He looked down at the red glowing fruit that stared at him. He had to have faith in that Shanks wouldn't give him a dodgy fruit.

"Alright." He picked up the fruit from the box and lifted it to his face. It didn't smell bad. Well it didn't smell at all. But he knew it was going to taste terrible.

"Drink ready and waiting." Luffy beamed holding up a jug of water and then another one of orange juice. He really hoped that it wasn't going to be that bad. But he was glad his little brother had thought of the chaser.

"Are you sure, Ace?" Marco crouched down next to him.

"Yes, and you promise to help me right?" he glanced at his commander. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Of course. You'll be fine." Marco ruffled his hair and he felt himself sigh. That was one of the deciding factors for him, he knew that devil fruit powers can range from dangerous to supernova, and he never wanted to hurt anyone by accident. Having Marco, who conveniently had healing abilities, helped him decide that he would eat it. He had already decided long ago that if he found one, he would eat it alone, and far away from anyone. But now he had support. He wouldn't have to be alone.

"Ready the shield." He looked at his sister who raised her hands towards him. If anything went wrong she was going to wrap him in her shield and stop whatever was going to happen.

"Ready."

"Here it goes." He exhaled and lifted the fruit to his lips. His teeth sunk into the fruit and he quickly tore off a chunk and swallowed it whole.

It didn't taste as bad as what he thought it would, and then it hit him. Struggling to keep the small chunk down he reached for the jug of water and swallowed the entire thing.

"Oh god that was disgusting." He breathed and swapped the empty water jug for the orange juice Luffy held out to him while laughing.

"How do you feel?" Flick asked edging a little closer to him. He looked over his arms and legs and noticed the absence of any extra limbs or extremities which he was thankful for.

"Fine," he groaned. "Do I look the same?" He was hoping to feel something after he ate it.

"Shit, you have ears!" Flick shouted and pointed to his head in shock. His hands instantly moved to his hair in panic but he found nothing.

"Flick, that wasn't funny." Sabo spoke for him, but even he could see him trying to hold back his own laugh.

"Come on, he set himself up for that one." Flick laughed.

"Maybe it wasn't a devil fruit?" Luffy asked poking his pipe at the lifeless looking fruit on the ground. It lost its shine as soon as he took a bite out of it.

"That was certainly a devil fruit." Marco crouched down in front of him and ran his hands over his body. He peered into his eyes, but there was nothing different about him.

"Maybe we should throw you overboard, we'll know for sure if it was a devil fruit." Sabo added with a smirk.

"That will not be happening again." Thatch claimed glaring at Luffy. "I do not need another heart attack thank you very much." He stood up and towered over the two youngest.

He was about to respond when his nose tingled.

And then everything happened so quickly.

A sneeze erupted from his nose and the space around him erupted into flames. His hands flashed forwards but was stopped by a force.

"Ace!" he could hear everyone calling to him as the flames circled around his body. His eyes locked onto his hands as they seems to vanish into flames and then formed back into his solid body.

"Flick," Sabo appeared next to his sister who was brought to her knees. Both her hands were forced forwards to try and control her shield that wrapped around the flames. Izo had flung Luffy behind him and Marco appeared in front of them all, ready to take the blast.

"Why the fuck does he have to have flames," she groaned feeling the strength within her shield growing stronger. "God he's so strong." She winced feeling it fight against her shield.

"This is so cool!" Luffy beamed from behind Izo.

"Ace!" Marco called out trying to reach him within the sphere of flames. "You need to control it."

Ace heard his guardian's voice and tried to do what he said. But he didn't know how. He placed his hands out in front of him and watched as they flickered from flames to human back and forth. More flames erupted in a blast as his frustration hit.

He was disappearing into flames.

He was disappearing.

"Flick cannot hold it back, you need to calm down." Marco's voice only made him more agitated. He knew that his sister was helping him. But he couldn't get rid of the flames. He was going to hurt them. He was going to hurt his family.

"Ace, take a deep, slow, breath." Whitebeard's voice echoed around him. "Close your eyes and count to ten."

"I can't." His voice was pained as he tried to shout for help. He could only imagine his siblings burning from the flames that erupted from his body. He could hear their screams of pain and agony.

He was going to hurt them.

He was going to hurt his family.

"Stop thinking and listen boy. Close your eyes and count to ten." Whitebeard's commanding voice reached him and he closed his eyes.

"Your siblings are safe. You have not hurt anyone." Whitebeard continued to talk as he managed to control his breathing enough to whisper the word one.

He followed what the old man had instructed and let his body relax with every breath that he took.

"Imagine your true form."

He could picture his body; his hands; his feet.

"Take control over the fire that burns within your body."

He could feel the heat that seemed to stem from his stomach. His hands moved to cover his stomach and he concentrated on the source. He tried to visualise pulling the flames back into his stomach.

"That's it my boy."

"Ace."

He opened his eyes and noticed that the sphere around him was now clear, there were no flames left. His eyes snapped to his sister who was kneeling on the ground panting. He could see a small trail of blood that ran down from her nose and onto the wooden deck. She pushed herself too far, again, to help him.

"Flick you can drop it now," he placed his hands on her shield giving it a small reassurance that he was under control.

"Thank fuck." She sighed letting Thatch catch her as her body gave out beneath her. "Don't ever try to tell me you're weak again, asshole." She groaned but smiled to him.

"Trust you to get a destructive power." Sabo moved forwards and clapped him on the shoulder but quickly removed his hand feeling the heat that radiated from his skin. He could tell his brother was pleased with the outcome of his new power, almost as much as he was.

"You did very well brat," Whitebeard had stood and was now surrounding them.

"Thanks, old man." Ace grinned and felt the heat reach his cheeks.

"Not again." Flick whispered preparing her shield.

"Don't worry, he's just embarrassed." Sabo laughed at his brother's reddened face; "Aren't you Ace."

"Don't agitate him." Marco hit Sabo on the back of the head in warning. "He's going to need a lot of training to keep that power under control."

"God dammit." Ace groaned looking straight at Drill Sargent Marco.

"First thing tomorrow kid, you and me." Marco laughed at his sour expression.

"Lucky we're on a deserted island," Sabo smirked looking back at Namur. It seemed this spontaneous visit to a summer island was going to be the best thing for all of them.

* * *

Makino was hollow. She sat in the corner of her bar looking out of her small window and out onto the fields that backed onto her place and into the forest. For days she would sit here and expect to see three smiling faces covered in dirt and bruises come running out of the tree lines with laughter in the air.

Three small faces that haunted her dreams.

Three faces she failed.

Glancing back over her shoulder she could see her deserted pub with only her loyal customers still coming by every now and then. She knew she would lose her business soon. The rooms above that were almost always filled were always empty, the business lunch and dinner time food rush was no more than a few plates here and there.

The bandits were some of the only customers that bothered to coerce her into making small talk. But she could see the pain on Dadan's face every time one of the boy's names were mentioned.

She wasn't sure if it was because of the Marines that had stormed through her place that night and tore everything apart, or if it was her. The wall of photos that mocked her every day was proof that she had been happy no less than a year ago. Three small candles stayed lit no matter the time or the day, three small candles that she kept lit in hopes to bring her boys home. In hopes that they would come home safely and unharmed.

But she knew that would never happen. They were gone.

Each of them all blamed themselves for the loss of the boys, but she knew that it was all of theirs. Each of them played an essential role into their capture and torture. When Garp had told her about what had happened after they were taken, she wasn't sure if she was happy that they had gone quickly in the explosion or not.

To live a life as a slave would have been worse than hell for those boys.

Each of them were completely different in personality, but they had one thing in common. They each craved and yearned for the complete freedom of the ocean. To be caged like animals would have destroyed their very souls. She never knew which one would be worse, to die young, or to live a life worse than death.

"Makino?"

She slowly turned around not even hearing the sound of the bell at the front door, or feeling the approach of the bandits walking up behind her.

"Good morning Dadan," she whispered trying to smile to the only other woman who understood her pain and guilt.

"It's almost nightfall Makino, have you eaten today?" the older woman asked concern littering her face.

"I'm fine," she whispered looking back out onto the field. She noticed the bright orange of the sky slowly starting to set behind the forest trees. She didn't know how many days went by like this.

The purring of the pubs den den broke the depressed aura that seemed to seep into the very walls of the pub.

Makino looked at the purring snail before turning back to her window. She rarely answered the snail anymore. The last few phones calls she remembered were from Garp, and she couldn't handle it anymore. She couldn't listen to the man's drunk rambles and ravings about revenge and justice. In the end she knew that he couldn't retaliate, he couldn't.

There was only so much she could take.

"Dogra answer that." Dadan spoke and the little man ran towards the snail and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Party's Bar."

"Makino? Where's Makino?"

Her head snapped up at the sound of the familiar voice at the end of the lines. Stumbling from her stool she raced towards the snail and ripped the receiver off of Dogra.

"Shanks," her voice broke as the tears she so desperately tried to control for so long broke and started to run down her cheeks.

"Makino? Is that you? What's wrong?" she instantly heard the panic in the man's voice which made her cry harder. He didn't know. He didn't know that Luffy was…

"Luffy," her voice broke and she clamped her hand over her mouth to try and mask her pain.

"So you heard, isn't it great. I can't believe that little anchor is out at sea-" Shanks laughter died down when he heard the woman's wail on the other end.

"Makino?" he spoke gentle and waited for the woman to try and reclaim her breathing. "What's happened?" he asked a little more forcefully this time. He signalled to Benn who was quick to run to his side.

"We're heading to Foosha immediately." He saw his friend respond and quickly the crew set to work on the sails.

"Shanks, Luffy he-" her voice broke. "He's-" she struggled to find the words she failed to accept.

"What happened?" Fear spiked in Shanks, he had only left them a few weeks ago. What had she heard? He wasn't sure which was to sail, towards her or towards Whitebeard and the brats.

"He's gone. He didn't make it." She snapped and he heard the receiver fall and hit the ground.

"Makino!" his voice alarmed shouted.

"Makino." He could hear other voices shouting through the line and his heart rate picked up.

"Tell me what's happened." He yelled for anyone to answer him. What of the others, what of Octavia?

"Captain Shanks, this is Dadan." He heard the receiver being picked up and the voice of a name he did know.

"Tell me what you know, now." He ordered and he could practically feel the fear through the snail.

"Garp reported to us months ago, the brats were taken aboard a slavers ship and it was destroyed by the Whitebeard Pirates."

Shanks felt his entire heart and body sigh in relief. His heart felt like it had just taken the beating of a life time, and he was sure he lost another five years off his life for that moment.

"Thank god," his body slumped back against the wall and his eyes closed.

"They're dead Shanks, gone forever." Makino's voice screamed at him through the line and he quickly sat forwards, she didn't know. She thought.

"Makino, they're alive. The brats are all alive. I saw them exactly two weeks ago. They were rescued by that old bastard and they have been under his care since then." He spoke slowly and clearly without using the boy's names, he didn't know who might have been listening. There was a deafening silence on the other line followed by a small voice.

"They're alive?"

"I swore to all the old and new gods, they are alive. And Makino I have so much to tell you." He beamed at the thought of his niece being alive and well. He wanted to spill his story right now over the line but he knew it wasn't safe.

He was waiting for a reply when he heard a loud thump and voices screaming for the woman.

"It seems Makino has fainted, Captain. Are you sure about this?" Dadan's voice seemed to be as fearful as before. He knew that the mountain bandits had taken over the care of Luffy and the others. But he never imagined that they would care for them to this extent. Then again, this was Luffy they were talking about, he could charm anyone into siding with him.

"I am heading back to Foosha now, we will arrive in under three weeks. They are alive and well." Shanks beamed at the stories he was excited to tell.

"Makino will be pleased." Dadan was relieved more than her words could ever admit.

"I will see you soon." Shanks knew that the conversation had gone on longer than it should. But she needed to know, he could not let Makino believe that those three brats were dead. He knew exactly the guild that she would have been holding over herself, all too well.

He was more than ready to see his favourite bar maid.

* * *

_**"Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark."**_

* * *

**So what did you think?**

**Finally Makino learns the truth - poor girl. **

**Oh course Ace gets his power :D But he will need training to control his anger issues - thus his Daddy issues.**

**Will note Flick CANT swim - She will be able to resist water, just like the seastone for moments. Just wanted to help explain their initial escape - She resists seastone and sea water not immune completely. **

**Author note: Side note - I am a bit struggling at the moment with the 'middle' plot if you will. My muse has gone away on holidays so bleh not liking this no inspiration shitty phase. I have my end phase, and my next 'Thatch finds Devil fruit phase' but inbetween i'm a little fuzzy. Throw suggestions if you have any! lol Otherwise I have a sort of back up plot that im only sort of happy with but then the end - before Luffy turns 16 part I have down packed.**

**So yes, :D apologies if I disappoint people. **

**Anyway. **

**Thanks to my lovelies: **

**Goldspark, GoldenMelon, Walking in the sea, Rosales, Guest, Nala, Lilnightmare, Rinslayer always a pleasure to read your reviews :D**


	24. Chapter 24 - Let the Training Begin

_**Hey there everyone! **_

_**Thanks for the loving, support and Ideas :D**_

* * *

_**"Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds."**_

* * *

A week passed and Sabo, Luffy and Octavia sat on the deck of the Moby Dick and watched yet another flame burst through the tops of the trees and disappear into the air. Ace had been taken off the ship the very night he ate the Mera Mera fruit, to go and train on the island with Marco alone. No one wanted to leave him alone to sleep with the others when he erupted into flames at the smallest of moments.

It had taken two more incidents to prove to everyone that Ace was not yet in control of his powers and posed a danger to the others, contrary to Ace's continued arguments. It was Ace who was first to state that he needed to leave that night. Marco had tried to convince him that it would be safe enough if he stayed in his room, but Ace wouldn't have it. It was still too close to his siblings.

They packed up two small camping kits and several boxes of food, curtesy of Lyon and Marco flew them to the island within the hour.

Every day they would see random balls of flames enter the sky, or a part of the forest burst into flames and spread across the island. It seemed that gaining control over that particular devil fruit was going to be a lot harder than they had all expected. But they all knew that he would do it, there was nothing that Ace couldn't do.

"Sabo," they all turned and saw the three remaining guardians standing behind them. It seemed that over the last week, that they were getting their training upped to the next level as well.

"Coming," Sabo pushed off the figurehead and followed Namur towards the training rooms. Sabo was taking his training to the next level, each of his siblings now all had the power of a devil fruit to back them, and he was determined not to be left behind.

And fishman karate was a whole new level of training that he never thought was possible for him. Even Namur had to take a few days to come up with an effective way to teach a human how to use and perform his species fought technique, what made it hard was the fact Sabo could not breathe under water, he could not adapt to the water like a fishman or merman could.

But Namur was smarter than he looked, he spent three days of limited sleep and even smaller breaks to come up with a lifelong plan to shape Sabo into a fishman fighting machine. He would be the first known, to them at least, human to use and master fishman karate.

"Izo, more meat training?" Luffy bounded off the figure head and towards his guardian. Luffy loved his training sessions and the more targets he hit the more meat he was rewarded with, even when Izo had made his targets to start moving around the deck and somewhere hidden where he couldn't see, he still hit them now.

"Not today Bouncy, you're working with Thatch today." Luffy looked at his sister and then to their guardians. This was different.

"It's alright Luffy, we're going to work on your speed little man. We can't have your brothers being faster than you, can we? Give me five days and you will be dodging everything in sight, no one will be able to catch you." Thatch goaded him and it worked perfectly. Luffy was running off to the training rooms before Thatch had managed to finish his sentence. Now all he had to do was live up to the little promise he had just given the boy.

"Have fun Princess," Thatch waved her off as he followed after Luffy.

"What's going on?" she spoke looking up at the sharpshooter, she had never trained with Izo before and she wasn't entire sure what the plan for them was going to be. She was more than determined alike her brothers to pick up her training and take it to the next level. Truthfully she was hoping that Thatch was going to start her of sword play. She looked up to her guardian with nothing but golden eyes and she wanted to be as strong and brave as him, and as smart as Marco.

"It's time to learn to use that bow of yours." Izo pulled out her purchased bow and held it out to her.

Her wide eyes caught a glimpse of the bow she had brought back at Mundal island. She had completely forgotten about it. Her smile started to grow as she looked at the long wooden bow with the clear gem sitting right in the front of it. Thoughts of using a sword were quickly thrown out the window when Izo passed her the bow she had fallen in love with instantly.

"Ready Huntress?" Izo smirked and they headed to the back of the ship.

"Huntress?" she grinned up at the sharpshooter. She quite liked the name, it was more mature and badass than Princess, or turtle, and the names Thatch always seemed to come up for her.

* * *

Ace groaned.

He glared at Marco with a whole new level of hate. Marco was pushing it, no, he was pushing him to his final straw.

He was standing at the top of a tree with at least a hundred foot drop below him, while Marco was hurtling flames at him. It seemed now that he was made of fire that Marco wasn't holding back anymore, the small rocks and pebbles that used to be their enemy were now full blown balls of flame.

He may have been immune to the fire, but it didn't stop them from hurting, or flinching away from them and into something that actually did hurt him.

"Do not lose your cool," Marco instructed and hurled another flurry of flames towards him. Again he was in defence training. He wasn't allowed to let a single flame touch him, and he wasn't allowed to let a speck of his own flames show. He wasn't allowed to react to the comments that Marco had thrown at him. He had to keep control over himself not matter what situation he was put under.

But that was harder than it looked, a single comment or insult that was thrown towards him he would normally glare off, but now, the flames licked over his skin and his fists turned to fire. There was no hiding the anger or frustration that he felt. It was now written all over his face and his body for the world to see.

He growled and jumped to the next branch that was within reach, barely dodging the attack that was hurled towards him.

"This is pathetic. Move faster." Marco growled and attacked again. He growled and dodged while rolling into the next tree.

"This is how you want to get stronger?" Marco taunted him and he felt his anger rise. He tried to contain the growl and rippling of the flames over his arms but it wasn't working. Sweat rolled down his body and he wasn't sure if it was from the fire or the strain.

"I'll show you." Ace grunted as the next branch he lunged for broke under his foot and he slammed stomach first down to the branch below him.

"Observe your surroundings. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" Marco belted out remark after remark and it was getting infuriating.

"You're losing your focus again. You're worse than Luffy. What kind of pirate are you?"

With that a surge of heat surrounded him and a growl ripped from his lips. He watched as his flames destroyed the trees surrounding him and he started to fall as the branch beneath his feet shattered into ash.

Marco was quick to pluck him out of the air and drag him back down to the safety of the ground.

"Reign in your flames Ace." Marco sighed and sat down on the singed grass, they had been at this for hours, and that was just for today.

Ace crumbled to the ground in defeat. They had been at this for days and he still lost his concentration and his flames destroyed anything and everything around him. At this rate he was never going to be safe around his siblings, one off comment from them and he would turn them into ashes.

"This is pointless!" Ace screamed and he felt the flames lick at his skin.

"You are not concentrating. You are reacting only with anger." Marco stood above him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Anger is all I fucken have left to use!" Ace screamed and his body reacted in flames.

"Anger? What do you have to be angry about now?" Marco taunted not letting his flames even affect him.

"Shut up!" Ace yelled.

"Tell me Ace. Tell me what angers you." Marco prodded.

"What do you want me to say!"

"Tell me what is really bugging you Ace?" Marco sighed and knelt down in front of the ball of flame. "All this time you've been with us you've been hiding something, something big."

"What do you know!" Ace growled as his form flickered from human to fire. "What could you possible know about anything!"

"I know a lot brat, so tell me what's got you acting like such a little bitch." Marco felt the burn of Ace's flames as he taunted the boy further. He didn't like doing this, he didn't want to be doing this. But it had to be done.

He wasn't an idiot, he knew there was always something bothering the boy, something that had to do with their time with the slavers, something that effected Ace, and Ace only.

Something that fuelled his rage more than anything that had happened to him or his siblings. Something that affected him down to his very core. And he knew that with a power like his, that his rage was going to be the thing that destroyed him, and he was never going to let that happen.

"Tell me. What it is that haunts you?" He pressed further wincing at his tone. "Who is it that haunts you!" he growled and finally he saw the boy flinch. So his suspicions were correct, someone had this effect on the boy. Someone had placed this weight on Ace's shoulders.

"You want to know, you want to know who haunts my dreams. You want to know the man who turned me into this, the man who put a death sentence on my head the day I was born!" Ace's form reappeared and Marco felt his body shudder at the killer intent that radiated off the small boy in front of him.

Death Sentence.

Marco felt his stomach fall to the bottoms of the earth. Those two words would haunt him forever.

"Who, Ace, who did this?" Marco had crouched down in front of him and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, ignoring the heat that burned through his hands.

"He's not my father!" he screamed and Marco froze. His father. Ace's father has never come up before.

"Who is he Ace?" he whispered gently and saw the wetness form in his dark eyes.

"Roger." Ace growled.

Marco stilled.

Roger.

Gol D Roger.

Everything was slowly starting to piece together.

"Gol D Roger is your father." He whispered and finally the flames had died out and sat in front of him was a crumpled destroyed boy.

"That monster is not my father!"

"Ace," Marco sat down in front of him.

"Please don't send the others away." Ace whispered in a manner that Marco had never heard before.

"What?"

"They've done nothing wrong. Don't send them away. Flick needs Thatch, as much as Luffy and Sabo need Izo and Namur. They belong here. They're safe here." Ace's body trembled as he spoke. "Please don't send them away." He begged.

"Ace, what the hell are you talking about? Look at me." He gripped Ace's chin and forced him to look at him. But what Marco saw would haunt him. The level of fear in his eyes was unmatched.

"Don't send them away. Please." A lone tear fell from Ace's eye and trailed down his cheek until it fell onto his hand.

"No one is going anywhere do you hear me. Not Flick, not your brothers and definitely not you." He let go of his chin and placed his hands on both his cheeks. "This changes nothing, do you hear me."

"But-"

"No buts, Ace. I don't care who your biological father was. I don't care what he used to be and no one of the ship will. Pops, will not, that I know for sure."

"No," Ace shook his head. He knew what people said, he knew what people would do if they found out who's blood ran through his veins. He wasn't meant to be born, he never deserved to be born.

"For once in your life Ace shut up and listen to what I'm saying. Trust in us. Trust in me."

"No."

"Ace."

"No. You can't still want me. You should throw me away. You should kill me." His tears ran down his face in rivers as he stared at his guardian in front of him. He regretted the second the words had come out of his mouth, the moment his secret was revealed he knew everything would change.

"Ace." Marco whispered and he tried to pull himself away from the man. He moved all but a few feet before his wrists were caught and he was forcefully pulled back and into his guardians arms.

"Let me go. Let me go." He chanted over and over again using his fists try to push himself away. But the harder he punched the harder he struggled the tighter Marco held him.

"It's okay Ace. You're safe." Marco whispered ignoring the painful blows he received. "You're wanted. You belong with us."

"No. No. Stop it. Don't lie to me."

Marco could feel the boys tears soak through his jacket as he held him tighter. He forced back his own emotions as he held onto the frightened boy. His frightened boy. He was never letting him go, he was never going to throw him away.

"Enough Ace." His voice turned sharp and he felt the boy still. "You belong to the Whitebeard Pirates, you belong with Pops, you belong with Flick and your brothers by your side, and you belong with us, with me and the other guardians. Nothing and no one can change that, not your biological father, not Garp, not anybody. Do you understand me? You are Ace. Alpha to the Whitebeard Wolfpack, the son of Whitebeard and the brother to many."

The air around them stilled as they both lingered over the words that Marco has so boldly declared. Ace's mind ran over and over the words. They were words that he had always wanted to hear, wanted to hear with conviction. He heard them say it many times before, but that was in the past when no one knew of his heritage. He knew that everything would change when people discovered who he really was.

"Why?" Ace tore his eyes off the ground and looked up at Marco, at his guardian. The first person he truly trusted. But this was different now, this was more than just trusting him with food, water, training; this was trusting the man with his deepest and darkest secret that many thousands of people would kill him instantly for even knowing.

"Ace, the blood in our veins does not define who we are. It doesn't define who Octavia is, or Luffy, or even myself. We are our own people and no one should be allowed to pass judgement. Only our actions define who we are. As Pop's always say, we are all children of the sea and nothing else matters."

Marco finally felt Ace's punches stop as he fell against his chest.

"Everything will be okay. I promise." He whispered over and over as Ace sobbed against his chest. His tears flooded down his face and soaked through his clothes.

They both sat there for what seemed like hours before Ace's tears had grown silent and his body pulled away.

"So what now?" Ace whispered looking at his guardian for guidance.

"We finish your training. And then we go home and speak to Pops." Marco spoke and saw the boy flinch at the mention of speaking to their pops. "Nothing will change, you'll see Ace." He ruffled the boy's hair and felt him nod.

"So training," Ace wiped his face clean of any trace of the last few hours.

"Your anger is your downfall."

"This is hard." He sighed and looked to his guardian. That much he knew. Sabo was always telling him that he was too angry for his age. But through every fight, every battle he had been in, it was his anger that kept him alive, kept his siblings alive.

"It is." Marco threw him the canteen of water which he greedily gulped down.

"You need to learn to control your anger. And trust me, that is a lot harder than what it sounds like, especially for people like us," Marco spoke gaining Ace's full attention.

"People like us?" Ace prodded looking for more information.

"After I ate my devil fruit, I was stuck in my phoenix form for weeks. Months even, before I learned to control it." Marco explained. "Every pirate aboard the Moby Dick has their own story to tell. Mine is not much different."

"What happened?" Ace asked gently he didn't want to pry, but he wanted to know, no, he needed to know. He needed to know how Marco had overcome his own hatred, how he managed to get past his anger to control the power.

"I didn't know my parents, my country was at war when I was born. The orphanage that I grew up in was good at its best. We had a plate of food each day, and a roof over our heads when we slept. But the war slowly destroyed everything, the orphanage was one of the first places to be raided. We no longer had the food, or the roof. It was every man for themselves." Marco leant back on his hands and stared up at the clear blue sky.

"I was a lot like you back then Ace, I had a small group of younger kids from the orphanage that I took care of. I found us food, I found us shelter. But, it wasn't enough. The war slowly took every single person from me, until it was just me." Ace stared at his guardian with new eyes. His eyes fell to his own hands and thought of his own past, he could have so easily lost his brothers after they were captured. He could have lost everything he had ever cared about.

"How'd you cope?" he whispered. But he never wanted to know the answer, he never wanted to know what it would actually feel like to lose his precious people.

"Not very well," Marco laughed bitterly, "I took on a whole ship full of enemies. I hid explosives that I had managed to find throughout my village and planted them all around the small dock and just waited. I killed many men that day, but I still felt nothing. These were the people who took away my home, they took away my friends and my family."

Ace knew that he would have been the same if that was him, and if he had lost his brothers. He would stop at nothing until anything and everything that was associated with the loss of his siblings were completely destroyed.

"That's when I found the fruit. It was locked in their cellar with a whole mountain of gold. But I knew what it was. I knew what it could give me; the power to destroy anyone in my path." He sighed looking back at him. Ace felt as though he was listening to his own story. He knew what a devil fruit could give to someone. He gulped looking back up at his guardian, it was too

"It gave me power alright. I burnt down every ship that came to the island. I burnt everything in my path. But I was still angry. No matter how many ships I destroyed no matter how many of them fled my island it still wouldn't bring back those I lost."

"How'd you change back?" Ace asked almost desperately.

"I had convinced myself that I was guarding my island, and after a few weeks of flying around I started to hear the talk amongst the people in my village. They didn't call me as their protector or guardian as how I felt, they called me a demon. They called me the demon from hell. So I ran. I flew as far as I could until I couldn't fly any further. I collapsed on a winter island somewhere and that was when I felt myself shift back. Only with complete and utter defeat did I change back." A smile graced his lips as he looked back at the sky.

"Pops found me shivering and half buried by the snow. I was so exhausted not even the phoenix could heal me. He showed me the way, gave me something to protect, he gave me a reason to live again." Marco looked at him and gained his full attention.

"You need to replace your anger with love. When you begin to lose control or get angry, don't think about those who have hurt you, or your siblings. Instead think about protecting them. You are their older brother Ace, it is your job to protect them. You are not a monster or devil, you are a protector you are their guardian."

Ace let his words sink in.

It was the first time someone had called him a protector.

But that was the role of the older brother, and he knew that, he knew that he would always be there to protect his siblings even if it meant his own death. But to be labelled as a protector, or their guardian as something different.

He liked it.

"Do you understand?" Marco asked and he nodded.

"I think I get it now." Ace felt the fire that was stirring in his stomach. This power wasn't destruction, it was his essence now. It was his will and he controlled it.

He would use it to protect his siblings.

"Good, now let's go again." Marco stood up and dusted off his hands. Ace watched as his own guardian erupted into flames of blue and yellow. He understood the world so much better right in this moment. He understood exactly what he meant to Marco, it was the same as what his brothers and Flick meant to him.

Heat rose to his cheeks as he finally caught onto everything his siblings had been gushing about. He understood why they called Whitebeard their father.

A smile made its way onto his face as he felt his fire surround him. But this time he was in control of it.

* * *

Three weeks later, Ace stood in the middle of Whitebeard's office with his siblings surrounding him and the guardians lining the office walls. They were all here. Everyone who truly mattered to himself and his siblings were all in this room. Marco stood behind him and he could feel his supportive hand on his shoulder.

"What is this about my son?" Whitebeard spoke, having a small inclination on what was about to happen.

"Ace here has something he would like to tell us. But what is said does not leave this room." Marco spoke and gained an affirmative nod from the guardians.

"What is it my boy?" Whitebeard looked solely down at him.

Ace looked at the giant of a captain in front of him and gulped. This was it. This was the moment that everything could change. He glanced back at over his shoulder and at his guardian. Marco gave him a small nod and he looked over to his siblings.

Sabo and Luffy both had knowing looks on their faces, but Flick, she looked as worried as him. She was in the dark just as much as the others were. Sabo gave him a small smile and a nod. He turned back to look at the man who would decide his future, his siblings futures.

"Gol D Roger was my biological father." He spoke the words clearly and quickly. He ignored the gasps behind him and stared only at the man in front of him. Marco's hand gripped his shoulder tightly, a clear signal that he wasn't alone.

"I see." Whitebeard spoke with a laugh at the back of his throat.

"What?" Ace spoke in shock.

"I thought it was something serious." Whitebeard laughed and took a drink from his large stein.

"What?" Ace mumbled.

"I already knew of your bloodline boy, I've known since the day you stepped onto my ship." Whitebeard rubbed at his moustache.

"You – knew?" Ace stumbled on his spot but never took his eyes off the man.

"Yes, is there anything else?" Whitebeard smiled.

"See, no one cares Ace. No one who matters, cares." He slowly turned his head as Sabo stepped forwards.

"You're Ace." Luffy bounded up next to them and smiled his signature smile. He looked over their shoulders and to his sister who had yet to say anything.

"Flick?" he whispered and she finally locked eyes with him.

"So this really does make us family." She grinned and appeared beside him and grabbed his hand. "My grandfather is your biological father's first mate, so that kind of makes us siblings already." She laughed.

"I thought we already understood each other brat, you are here to stay, no blood or name will change that." Whitebeard announced and was instantly tackled by four small children.

"Thanks Pops," Ace whispered to the man.

* * *

"Stop it." Ace glared at his siblings with his arms crossed over his chest. Since the moment he was deemed safe by Marco to re-join the general population he had been hounded by his siblings. And to his compete and utter surprise, it was Sabo who first instigated their little testing on him and his control.

So now they were sitting around the galley and they each were ganging up on him and stealing his food. First it was Luffy, and then when he was distracted with him, Sabo moved in and grabbed his bacon. No one touched his bacon, pancakes were one thing but everyone knew if you even attempted to steal his bacon there was going to be war.

So as soon as he lunged for his brother he was suddenly encased in a bubble of air.

"Let me go Flick." He growled looking at his sister whom was wearing a slight smug expression on her face. Oh, she knew exactly what she was doing.

"It's a little hotter in here isn't it?" She grinned and his brother's quickly hummed in agreement.

"There isn't a single flame present. Now let me go." He snapped and looked at his blue hat wearing brother. "And drop my bacon."

"What is going on here?" Thatch made himself known and took one look at Ace and then to the smiling brats surround him and he had a small inkling about what was happening.

"Testing." Sabo answered and looked back at his brother still in the shield.

"Uh huh, and stealing his breakfast is the way to go?" Thatch asked sitting down next to Octavia.

"Yes, we need to test out every day activities that he would normally get angry over. It's for his safety as well as others." Octavia grinned already rehearsing that spiel many times this morning.

"Oh yes, and for entertainment purposes I'm sure." Thatch grinned and picked up a piece of bacon of Ace's plate.

"God dammit Thatch." Ace snarled but resisted the urge to actually break out of his sister's hold on him. But if he did, than he would just be proving them all right and he would be under even more testings. Sighing he sat down on the slightly elevated shield that was above the ground and crossed his arms over his chest. He would not let his siblings, or Thatch win this. He would show them exactly how much in control he was over himself, and when they believed him, they were going to be in a world full of trouble.

"Children."

All heads snapped up and stared at Marco who was not amused by the breakfast display.

Octavia quickly dropped the shield and winced a bit as Ace fell suddenly to the ground without warning.

"God dammit Flick!"

"Sorry Ace," she mumbled looking under the table to see him rubbing his butt.

"You five up on deck in five minutes." Marco ordered and left without turning back.

This time Ace was the only one wearing the smug grin on his face as he stared back at his guardians retreating back. Marco was very true to his word, he would always have his back whether it was in life or if it be against his siblings.

"Five?" Thatch questioned looking at the four brats staring at him. He felt himself shutter at the possibilities of what his own brother had in store for them. Glancing around the room he quickly locked eyes with his other guardians in arms.

"Izo, Namur. Wolfpack training in five up on deck." He tried to control his voice and present himself with a little bit of authority, but angry Marco scared him like a little school boy sometimes, but never the fear in battle, it was his brother's freakishly scary mind that had him afraid to battle this one alone.

"The brats?" Namur asked and he quickly nodded hoping that they would help share the Burdon of whatever Marco was planning for them.

* * *

It was de ja vu all over again. But for Sabo it was very different this time around. He stood in one corner of the deck of the Moby with two firm blue hands placed securely on his shoulders. Tilting his head back he could see his guardians face grinning ahead of him at the sight of the other guardians all standing behind his siblings.

Four corners were all occupied with the paired wolf and guardian as Thatch so smugly named.

"It's time you all see for yourselves that Ace is more than capable of handling his power. And then you will each owe him an apology." Marco spoke with pride in his voice as he spoke of his own charge, or newly dubbed wolf. He was slightly smug that Ace was dubbed the alpha wolf of the small family of brats. He would train the best.

The four guardians stood in a small square on the deck of the Moby Dick, with their chargers, or newly dubbed, wolves, in front of them. Octavia looked to Ace who was standing to her right and gave her brother a small nod with a grin on her face. She was looking forwards to this small showcase. Ace nodded and looked to his left to see Sabo looking at him. They were each prepared for this battle. Sabo looked to his left where Luffy was jumping on the balls of his feet ready and waiting for the fun to begin.

"How are we going to do this?" Octavia asked looking a little excited for this match. She wanted to test her skills against her brothers, especially Ace. This last week she had been working on both her bow as well as her shield. She was never going to be brought to her knees again by Ace's flames.

"How about old times, who can beat Ace?" Sabo smirked already feeling his muscles start to hum. He and Namur had been focusing on his speed. He may not have devil fruit powers like his siblings, but their powers meant nothing if they couldn't catch him. Even Namur had trouble trying to land a hit on him. But furthermore, his training to adapt to the Fishman styled karate was going better than expected, now he could dodge an attack and then strike when there was an opening.

"I'm first." Luffy grinned with his hands on his knees and lunging sideways in his usual stretching motions. He always went first when it came to the small brawls that they loved to have when they were back at Dawn. He was happy with how his training had been going. He loved spending a few hours a day with their guardians and learning different ways to train.

He never liked Gramp's ways of training, they were never fun and they secretly scared him to no end. But training with Izo and Thatch was something else, it was fun, and he was finally hitting every single target that he was asked to hit. If only his Gramps could see them all now, they were stronger than they had ever been before.

"Alright." Ace smirked at him and stepped into the small area. He didn't want to hurt his siblings, he didn't even want to scare them, but he did want them to see that he was in complete control over himself and his powers and there wasn't the slightest chance that he would hurt them. Not anymore.

Octavia stayed on the sidelines and watched as the eldest and the youngest of her siblings stepped into the small area. She felt a small giggle escape through her lips, the look of pure delight and determination from her brothers was something else.

"You have five minutes."

As soon as Marco had finished his breath they both leapt towards each other letting a war cry erupt around them. Ace did not hold back at he threw his body into the arena. He felt his eyes widen as a large fist came hurtling towards him, faster than he could ever expected and double the size. He threw his elbows up to take the brunt and he felt the wind knock at his ribs at the force. Jumping backwards and away from the continues onslaught of fists barraging the air in front of his face a grin worked its way onto his face.

"You've gotten faster Lu," he complimented his brother and Luffy rewarding him with his largest smile.

"Don't underestimate me anymore." Luffy spoke proudly as he launched himself off his spot and directly to his brother. A small growl broke through when he noticed the lack of fire. His brother was not fighting him to his fullest extent. He wanted to see how rubber went up against fire. He would show him that he shouldn't be underestimated.

"Gomu Gomu gattling." He yelled and threw as many fists as he could as fast as he could. His eyes never left his brother as he tried to dodge aside of him. But he changed to meet his direction.

"Go Luffy! Keep him on his toes"

Izo chanted from the sideline. A grin made a way onto his face when he felt the temperature start to rise around him. Halting his onslaught he quickly jumped backwards from one foot to the other and dodge the fire balls that came hurtling towards him just as quick. He bounced back until he felt his back hit the edge of the ship's railing.

"Get out of there Luffy," Izo shouted. And he looked around the deck. When he remembered countless times of escaping. Throwing a fist into the air he grabbed hold of the mast that was above his head and tugged his body off the ground and into the air, just missing a massive fire ball by an inch. He sighed as he felt the heat below him.

Landing down on the opposite side of the arena that he started in he turned back to see Ace facing him off. Charging forwards without giving him any time to breath he ran head on towards his fire brother. He could see Ace's fists starting to glow red until they completely disappeared and were replaced with flames.

Ace was surprised. That was the word that described how he felt while watching his brother come at him with so much more precision than ever before. He was sure he had him when he cornered him off at the edge of the boat. He was getting smarter.

His fists turned up the heat as Luffy came barrelling towards him with his own blown up fist ready for the final blow. They both knew that their time was running out. They had to put everything into their final attack, and he couldn't just sit there and let his brother draw with him.

Luffy grinned when his plan came to his mind, just feet away from his brother and his burning fist he threw his feet forwards and leant his body backwards and slide across the deck on his hip. Sliding further he looked up and could see Ace's burning fist above him.

"Gomu Gomu pistol!" he yelled and threw his fist upwards into the air and directly into Ace's stomach. He felt the blow for a fraction of a second before Ace had vanished into flames.

"Too slow," Ace grinned down at him.

"Shit." Luffy tried to scramble away but was quickly caught by the back of his shirt and throw into the air.

"Hiken."

Luffy's eyes widened at the large fire ball that was coming towards him in the air. His arms crossed over his face and he tried to pull his legs to his chest to protect his body as much as possible from the fire. A small scream escaped his mouth as the flame rushed past him. He could feel the heat as it radiated around him, but he didn't burn.

Opening his eyes he moved his arms away from his face and they brushed against something solid. And then he realised that he was no longer falling from the air but stuck there on the spot. Glancing down he could see his sister standing off to the side of the boat with her palm facing up towards him.

Flick caught him.

She was always there to protect him.

Secretly he was glad that he didn't feel the burn of his brother's devil fruit, but on the other hand he didn't like that he still needed to be protected. Groaning he felt the shield around him start to lower to the ground slowly.

"Time." Marco signalled and he sighed, it was over.

"Really Ace." Octavia glared at her brother with her hands on her hips. She was not pleased with his final stunt.

"I knew you would catch him," he stared back with his stupid smug expression, so she responded in her best ability and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Mature." Ace muttered and she proceeded to give him the finger.

"You did amazing Luffy." Izo stepped forwards as Luffy landed safely on the ground and the shield disappeared.

"But I lost." Luffy sulked.

"That doesn't matter. Your speed has come along in leaps and bounds and your punches were all on target. That causes for celebration." Izo flicked off his hat and gave his slightly damp hair a ruffle.

"Have anything to say to Ace, Luffy?" Marco stepped forwards with a matching smug grin.

"Next time, I'm going to kick your ass." Luffy yelled back and earned a laugh from the sharpshooter.

"Next time. I'm going to kick it now." Octavia stepped forwards beating Sabo by a fraction of a second. Ace turned to face her and she could see he was just as excited for this battle of devil fruits as she was.

His flamed meant nothing to her if he couldn't touch her. Not only did she had her speed, flicker and shield but she was smarter than him. That she was sure of.

"Go get him Princess." Thatch patted her on the back as she stepped into the arena.

"Bring it." Ace smirked and moved into a defensive crouch as the area was cleared.

"You asked for it." She grinned and didn't even bother waiting for Marco to signal go, she could already see Ace's flames ready to attack.

Disappearing from her spot she narrowly missed a flame and landed a few feet away. Flickering again, she moved to stand behind Ace as he threw another ball in her direction.

"Too slow brother," she taunted and flickered again.

"Party tricks won't let you win." Ace laughed and threw at her again.

Balls of flames were launched in every direction of the ship as she flickered from place to place. Over and over again she kept moving and dodging Ace's relentless attacks. She knew what she was doing. She had a plan from the very beginning on how she was going to bring her brother down.

"Is that all you got, flame brains."

Ace growled as he heard her taunting voice echo from all around the deck. He had to give her credit she could flicker at a pace that he could barely see her ever land, and then she was off again. Her voice rang around his ears as he launched flames wherever he heard her.

"That's it." Taking in a deep breath he felt his fire resonate all over his body and he pushed it out as far as he could. The entire deck erupted into a large wave of flames as it surrounded him in every direction. He heard a small scream and he turned around quickly to see her.

"Finally." He smirked and launched towards her shielded body.

"How long can you hold it?" he asked as he stepped right in front of her shield and placed his hands on the solid air. Pulling as much of his heat as he could he surrounded not only himself but the shield. His eyes never left hers as she fought back with just as much power as he was pushing towards her.

"Asshole." She growled and forced her hands onto her shield to try and keep it steady. Her hands were right opposite his as they both fought for dominance.

"Stop," Ace suddenly paused and his flames were pulled back instantly. She felt herself stumble against the lack of pressure against her shield.

"Why did you stop!" he yelled letting the air around her dissolve. Her anger rose to her throat.

"You're nose." Ace stepped forwards and his hand came to her face. She hadn't even noticed.

"God dammit." She swore and looked at the blood that covered her fingers. "I would have had you." She glared at her brother.

"Not a chance. That was barely half of my power."

"Half your power my ass. Your hands were shaking like a weak little baby." She wiped the rest of her blood onto her forearm. "Using me bleeding as an excuse to stop, pathetic."

"You bled because you were too exhausted to keep going." He shouted back and she could see the flames start to lick against his bare shoulders.

"Enough you two. It was a draw." Marco stepped forwards and separated their war of words.

"Bullshit." They both yelled at the same time and received a backhand to the back of their heads.

"Back to your corners now." Marco pointed and they both turned in a huff and walked back to where they were stationed.

"Let me look." Thatch knelt down in front of her and she tried to brush him off but he was persistent. "You so had him." he whispered to her and she felt her smile return.

"Next time, I'll be stronger." She grinned at her guardian.

"I know you will." Thatch stood up and she turned to face the empty deck. Thatch's hands were back on her shoulders and she felt herself lean back slightly and rest against his stomach. She didn't want to admit it, but she was tired. She could feel her muscles begging her to lay down and not move for a few days. But she stayed standing, out of principle alone.

Thatch's hands moved from her shoulders and wrapped around her chest holding her firmly to his body so she wouldn't fall over. He would catch her. Sighing she let her forehead lean against his muscular, yet soft biceps. She would sleep like a baby that night she was sure of it.

"Sabo." Namur captured everyone's attention as Sabo stepped forwards and pulled his pipe in front of him and let it bang against the ground.

"Just like old times." Sabo smirked as Ace stepped forwards.

"But only different." Ace smiled, feeling somewhat helpless without his matching pipe, but this time he had a whole new set of weapons at his disposal. But the thought did come to his mind, he wondered if there was a type of metal that wouldn't deform to his powers.

Sabo felt a wave of nostalgia hit him as he faced his brother. He could remember the first time that they sparred together with their stolen pipes from the scrapyard. He remembered the war cries every time they attacked or thought of something new. Their fights were never one-sided. They were always evenly matched, mostly in draws, but there were both times that they would both win and lose.

"Stop."

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_**"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on."**_

* * *

_**So that was it :D What did you think? **_

_**Little bit of Marco's back story and bonding time. Ace is slowly becoming the man he will be. **_

_**The brats are getting stronger :d **_

_**Thanks for the reviews to: RainbowGuardian13, Fangs of death, Crazed AJ, Guest, Magical Kaitou Kid, Yayoi Tsukikage, OTrizy, GoldenMelon, AddBaby, Savage Kill, Lilnightmare17, Haruki Hitomi and Nala :D xxx**_

_**Next UP: Pirates and Bounties**_


	25. Chapter 25 - Eye of the Storm

**Hey there everyone :DDD **

**Thanks for the loving - So here is the promised chapter :D**

* * *

_**There are some things you can only learn in a storm.**_

* * *

"Stop."

All heads turned as Namur shouted, effectively putting a halt on the fight about to begin. Sabo lowered his pipe and stared at his guardian who was suddenly radiating panic. He had seen Namur startled before, or even slightly panicked but right now was enough to warn him. Something was coming and it wasn't good.

"Namur?" Marco questioned noticing the familiar sound of his brother's warning. There was a silence in the air and all they could hear was the sound of the waves as they crashed against the ship.

Namur quickly rushed from his spot and to the edge of the railing peering over the side and into the distance. The wind blew hard and Sabo gasped. He felt it.

Sabo looked at his guardian and ran after him.

"Sabo, tell me what you feel?" Namur asked.

"Pressure's dropped. Wind's changed." He looked over the railing of the ship and noticed the calm waves from before were getting choppier. His mind ran through all the books and notes he had read and reread over and over again. But he didn't want to believe it, but the signs were all there.

"A cyclone." Sabo gasped and looked to his guardian for confirmation.

"Yes, sound the alarm." Namur called to his brothers. "Sabo, follow."

Sabo did as he was told and raced after Namur as he headed towards the navigation room. Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder he looked at his siblings. With a small nod he disappeared around the corner. They would look around for each other.

They all knew that the storms on the grand line could be as unpredictable as they were dangerous. Namur trailed after his guardian and his hand flew to his hat as the wind threatened to rip it away from him. Stepping inside the room brought on a whole other warning that ran through his body. The navigation team were running around the room and looking at different dials that lined the room. He watched with eager eyes as his guardian took complete control over the room and calmed the team down almost immediately. He barked orders and they quickly followed.

"Get them inside." Marco spoke looking from the storm above them to the alpha of the pack.

"We can help!" Ace argued but earned a quick glare from Marco.

"This is not a debate. Get your brother and sister inside now. They're your responsibility Ace. Do not come out until one of us collects you. Even if it sounds like it's over, the eye of a storm traps many men." Marco turned back so sharply Ace didn't even have time to respond. Taking one look at Luffy who was clutching onto his sisters hand he knew where he truly was needed. Luffy still didn't like storms and right now they were going to face the toughest storm they had ever seen.

"Come on." He grabbed Luffy's other hand and together they all raced towards the galley, it was the first room Ace could see and he knew that the galley was a familiar place for all of them. Also, they would be moments away from Sabo and the other guardians if anything should happen.

"Ace," Luffy whimpered as the clouds crash above their heads.

"We're right here Lu." Flick shouted as they burst through the galley doors. She let go of Luffy's hands and turned back to push the doors close. The wind was fighting against her but she closed it with a little help from her shield. She couldn't believe how quick the storm had arrived and thrashed down upon them.

"Under the tables." Ace shouted and they dived under the table in the centre of the room just as the ship started tilting against the waves. They could hear the loud bangs of the many pots and pans in the kitchen behind them.

"Maybe the galley wasn't the best place." She whispered letting her eyes rest of the swinging doors that lead into the kitchen. She only hoped that none of the sharp objects got lose.

"We'll be fine." Ace snapped at her and she turned back to respond when she saw Luffy.

"I mean, this is the safest place to be." He looked to Ace who nodded for her to go on. Luffy was shaking like a leaf as he clung to Ace. She slid herself on her stomach and wrapped her arm around his back and together, Ace and her, held them to the floor.

For extra insurance she kept her palm ready and waiting to throw her shield around them if anything should happen. She would have kept it up from beginning, but after her spar, there wasn't a chance she would be able to hold it for that long.

"I'm not scared." Luffy whimpered with his hat pulled down and covering his eyes.

"There is nothing to be scared of. It's just the weather." Ace tried to brush it off like they used to do. But he knew deep down that the storm would have an everlasting effect on Luffy, it would be everlasting for all of them.

"Sabo's learning to read the weather Luffy. Namur and Sabo won't let the weather hurt anyone." Octavia whispered and it seemed to be the thing to say to help Luffy stop shaking. Slowly his eyes pulled back and looked directly at her.

"Really?" his voice was so innocent she felt her heart break.

"Really. Soon he will be able to avoid all kinds of bad storms and weather." She nodded and then looked to Ace who had a small smile on his face. They both knew that from this point onwards, Luffy will be making sure that Sabo was the perfect navigator, whether he liked it or not.

"When I get my own crew. I'm going to have the best navigator in the whole wide world. And he's going to be able to stop all bad weather from touching my ship." Luffy's voice rose and she felt a little better knowing that he wasn't as afraid anymore.

"Who says it's got to be a boy?" Ace added and Luffy gasped in realisation.

"Fine. A girl navigator. The best girl navigator in the whole wide world." Luffy grinned.

"Whatever you want Lu."

Octavia kept her eyes open wide and looking out of the lines of windows that surrounded them. She could see the rain as it pelted against the glass and she was afraid that they would crack under the pressure. The sound of voices were heard in the winds and she hoped that they were the voices of the crew and not of ghosts in the wind.

She had read somewhere that during a storm like this that there were reports that sailors could hear the voices of the sailors who had died during the storms, in the wind. Gulping she shuffled closer to her brothers, already regretting reading whatever book that came from.

Luffy's small surge of confidence was quickly diminished and his shaking form was back. Ace regretted running to the galley, at first it was the first bit of shelter his eyes laid on. But now, he wished they had gone below deck. He wish he had put more floors between them and the sounds of the storm just a roof above them.

A small hum started to come to his mind and then came along a familiar tune. The words of bink's sake came to his lips and he started to whisper them into his brother's ear. Slowly Luffy's head turned and he could see two large brown eyes staring back at him.

He nudged his arm, and together they were whispering the words to Luffy's favourite song. It seemed to do the trick as he watched as his brother's eyes began to clear and there were no longer the traces of the fear that came along with the storm.

They felt like they were crouching under that table for hours but mere minutes were passing. The intense tilting of the ship had subsided as the waves outside no doubt had calmed down the further they moved away from the cyclone.

She felt herself release the breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding on for so long. She lifted her head out from under the table and peered through the windows. It seemed to be calmed down enough. She was about to comment to her brothers when the entire room shifted.

"Flick!" Ace snapped and she felt her body being pulled back into his side as the room tilted further than before and they felt their bodies sliding along the floor tighter. Ace's hand gripped onto the metal pole of the table that was screwed into the floor and anchored them. The sounds of cannons erupted around them as the ship turned back the other way.

"Were under attack." Her voice shouted hearing the all tell sounds of cannon fire. She buried her face into Luffy and made sure that his head and face were covered.

Peeking up she took the smallest second to throw out her shield when her eyes caught onto a large figure heading straight for them through the wall of windows. The window shattered as the object was forced through the glass and into the galley. A scream burst through her lips as she felt the shards of glass rain down over her shield.

"Marines." Ace's voice caused her eyes to snap open. He was right. There sitting unconscious in the middle of the galley was a marine.

"No." She whimpered and felt her body being pulled back into her brothers. Her shield stayed strong surrounding them as they hid now from the latest threat.

"He's not moving." Ace chanted over and over to her. No one had seen her, no one had seen them yet. He was starting to really regret the choice of the Galley. It was a one entrance one exit type of room. But he needed to get his siblings away from the sites of any marines.

Pushing himself to his knees he crawled out from under the table and looked around the galley. No one was coming for the fallen marine, and looking at the small pool of blood under his head he wasn't waking up any time soon, or maybe at all. Turning back he looked at his frightened siblings. As much as he wanted to go out there and fight alongside his guardians, he knew that his siblings needed him more. He prayed that Sabo was staying out of site and out of trouble.

"We need to get below deck, and stay hidden." He commanded and saw the two youngest nod. Glancing around, he saw a few of the standard black hoods handing against the entrance to the galley.

"Stay there." He ordered and slipped out from the shield and made a run for the door. He kept his head as low as possible and tried to avoid the windows as much as possible. As his back pressed against the wooden wall he snagged the bundles of material and ran back to his siblings. He needed to keep them to be covered. Especially, Flick, her hair was too much of a giveaway.

If these marines were after her, they were going to have a hard time trying to find her.

"Put these on, and cover your faces." He helped Luffy pull on the coat and quickly pulled the hood over his face and tucked his precious hat all the way into the coat. He pulled on his own coat and noticed that it was way too big on all of them. No doubt they were meant for the crew members and not teenagers or kids.

"We sneak outside. I will find us a safe place to get to. Flick you will get us there and we will keep going until we are either standing next to Pops or are below deck." He commanded and was quite proud of the plan he thought up just moments ago.

"What about Sabo?" Flick asked and he could hear the nervousness in her voice.

"If he's close enough, flicker him to us. If Namur's by his side, he'll be fine. Namur wont' let anything happen to him." Ace spoke with confidence. There was no way that any of the guardians, or any other whitebeard pirates would let them be captured without a fight.

They crept out from under the table and ran to the side of the door keeping their backs hidden besides the windows. Ace was the one to slowly peek his head out from the door and look around the deck. His eyes wandered over to the vessel that was not there before and he gulped.

"Shit." He swore snapping back into the room as a loud crash was heard just outside the room.

"What?" Octavia whispered sharply while looking at her wearied brother.

"The ship." He gasped peeking around the corner again just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. But a groan escaped his lips at the sight of the dog faced marine vessel that was floating beside them.

"What?" she asked again a little more urgently this time.

"It's Garp." He spoke and felt his brother's hands cling to his arm tighter.

"Grampa's here." Luffy whispered the words that he would speak over and over again when they were back home, accept this time there was not even the slightest bit of happiness of seeing their long lost grandpa, this time it was only spoken with fear.

"What do we do?" Octavia asked not liking the look of her brothers. She knew exactly who this man was and what he had done to them in the past. But right now they needed a plan, and the safest place for them to be was by their father's side. Whitebeard wouldn't let even Garp come close to them.

"New plan. Find Sabo and get to Pops. I'm sure Marco and the others already know who he is." Ace spoke and they both nodded.

"Flick," he called and she peeked out of the door and watched to where he pointed. She looked up above his finger at the mast above the middle of the deck. It was empty, no one was up there.

"Yes." She answered his unspoken question and grabbed hold of his hand and grabbed Luffy's other hand so they were in a small circle. She wanted to hold onto the both of them the whole time, she was not losing any of them. "When we land get down immediately." She ordered and they nodded. The space in the lookout was small, and the height was not enough to cover them completely.

"On three." She spoke trying to gather her breathing as her eyes locked onto the very place she was going to land. She counted down and felt her body shiver into nothing as she pulled herself and her brothers into the void. Landing with a quiet thud she pulled on her brothers hands and they followed her into a crouch.

The shouting of the fight was so much louder outside now that they were literally above it all. She looked at Ace who gave her a small nod. They were okay. Sliding to the edge of the lookout she pulled herself so she was slick to the wall and peeked her eyes only over the edge. There were so many marines. So much fighting.

Her eyes locked onto the flame that appeared in the air slightly above the deck. Marco.

As if he could hear her mind calling to him, he turned and his eyes reached hers. Ducking back down below the wall she waited. She knew he had seen her, but she didn't want any other eyes following Marco's gaze and seeing them.

"What are you doing out here!" Marco landed on the wooden beam beside them and she felt her brother's jump in shock. But Marco did not turn to look at them, merely looking as though he was watching the battle from a birds eye view.

"The galley was compromised." She explained quickly and she saw him nod in understanding.

"Where's Sabo?" Ace asked catching onto what they were doing.

"In the navigation room with Namur. That's where you are heading." Marco glanced down to the three covered brats with a small sigh of relief. When they were first attacked and boarded by the marines his eyes instantly went on search for them. Namur's shout told him that Sabo was with him, but the others were locked in the galley.

"Octavia, get down to point four and then straight to the navigation room. Do not hesitate. I will cover you." She looked up at her guardian and nodded. She knew exactly where she was flickering too, she had been using her twenty point system to train every day with her powers. She knew every point on the ship like the back of her hand, but to disappear straight away was something she had still been working on. She could disappear almost instantly by herself, but this time she was bringing along two other people, something she had yet to accomplish with the same speed.

"You can do this." He turned and looked at her straight in the eyes. She had to do this. Every second she took preparing for the next flicker, took the chance of someone spotting them. Pulling her hood further over her face and covering her hair she took her brother's hands once again.

"Marco," Ace spoke and his guardian spared a glance at him.

"I know who he is Ace. Don't worry." Marco reassured them and they each nodded. Garp would not touch them.

"On three." Octavia spoke to more herself than anyone else. Peeking over the railing she looked down at her spot. There were fights happening all around it, but she trusted Marco. He would cover her. She watched as Marco launched off his perch and transformed instantly into his form and rush down to the spot she was heading too.

"Now." She commanded for herself and flickered from her spot and to the stack of crates that sat in the corner. Landing, her eyes immediately snapped to the navigation room and she took a last breath and disappeared. Her landing this time was nowhere near as silent as she wanted it too. Collapsing into the nearby wall she groaned and felt her head hit the wooden wall behind her. Her vision unclouded and she froze seeing the white dressed man heading straight towards her with his sword held high.

"Flick!"

She ducked her head out of instinct and felt a flame of fire fly past her face and into the incoming attacker. Her eyes snapped up as a thump of a man landed in front of her. A marine who was now charred and unmoving.

"Let's go." Ace grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Guys!" Sabo was shocked to see his siblings fall in through the room he was hiding in. He quickly rushed to them and pulled Luffy off the floor and inspected him. He was safe. They were all safe. Ace pulled Flick to her feet and he noticed the way she leaned against his for support.

"You did well Flick," Ace smiled down at her and she nodded. Her fingers went to her nose as she felt the downside to her strength appear. Wiping the blood away she followed as Ace dragged her further into the room and leant her up against a wall.

"You three alright?" Namur spoke taking his spot in front of the only entrance into the room. He now knew his mission clear as day. Protect the four wanted brats.

"Garp is here." Ace spat out clearly and heard a growl come from Sabo who instinctively pulled Luffy closer to him. They were not getting their little brother.

"Marco sent us here." Flick added looking to Namur who nodded. The orders were clear to everyone, even though Marco wasn't here to give them, but they were to stay here until it was clear.

Thatch was pissed.

Pissed that their little tournament was cut short.

Pissed that the storm literally threw them into the path of a marine's vessel.

Double pissed because that vessel happened to belong to Garp.

He looked to his brothers and they each understood exactly who Garp was to the brats and what it could mean if they were discovered right now. But the man was nowhere in sight. His ship was there, that was hard not to miss, but the Admiral was nowhere to be seen.

Which brought up the question on where Garp was?

And why was he not out here fighting or striking a deal like he usually did when confronted by them.

This was different.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he had been out at sea for. Since the day he left Dawn Island he had been roaming. That was the only word he could use to describe his ships movements. He took every low level mission and request from headquarters and handed them off to his men to complete.

He sat in his quarters with empty bottles of once the richest of alcohols, now were nothing more than glass bottles. The burning sensation of the priceless sake that he had gathered over the years meant nothing now. They did nothing for him.

His eyes rotated from staring at the three small candles against his wall and to the open window that mocked him with freedom. Freedom that his brats had so greatly craved but will never feel again.

His hand gripped tightly around the glass bottle until he heard it shatter in his grasp. Glancing down he could see the evidence of the glass breaking through his skin but he couldn't feel it. Nothing could replace the pain that he felt in his very soul. Those three innocent brats. He planned more for them, planned for them to achieve greatness in the world so they could one day be accepted. But they never got the chance, they never got the chance to prove that they weren't like the monsters that brought them into this world.

It was his fault.

He should have come clean to the higher ups earlier on. If he had, then maybe they would still be alive, maybe they could have had a chance to prove themselves.

If only he had done things differently.

"Admiral Sir?"

Glancing up he hadn't even heard the sound of one of his men at the door. He looked at the young boy with sandy coloured hair and dark blue eyes. Turning away from the painful reminder her looked back out the window.

"What is it?" he spoke getting straight to the point.

"There is a cyclone heading this way sir. It will push us off course for two more days." The man explained and he merely waved his hand in dismissal. What was another two days to him? He heard the door close and he sighed. He tried to pass off all the menial decisions to the next in charge. But Johnson, as he remembered his name, wasn't nearly confident enough to take on that role.

The man would go far, Johnson that is, if he applied himself more. He had completed every mission that he had handed the boy, but it didn't come without the thousand questions of approval before any action, something that he was trying to avoid for the time being.

He just wanted to sail alone.

He wanted to be on his shit alone and with a crate of sake.

But his request was denied every time he requested leave. He was tempted to quit, and force their hand but he knew that he could never quit. He just lost his boys, he couldn't lose the only other thing in his life that defined him. And the higher ups knew that too. So for now he handed off anything he could to his subordinates to handle.

The storm raged outside his window and the rain pelted against his window. The sound of the bottles rolling from one side of the room to the other was enough to tell him how heavy the storm was. It wasn't a simple grand line storm, this one was a deal breaker for those who were novice to the seas.

The seas smoothed out and he heard more shouting above him. Sighing he let his eyes close and leant back against his chair. Whatever it was, his men could deal with it on their own. The shouting crew louder and his conscious started nagging at the edges of his mind. Opening his eyes he looked out the window and he felt himself growl.

"Those fools." Pushing to his feet he stabled his body against his desk until he was fine to move and stormed out of his office. The ship that sat across him was not someone you just tangled with. Johnson was more of a fool than he thought if he openly attacked Whitebeard's ship.

Stepping out on deck he threw back any man he passed and told them to stand down. Reaching the edge of his ship he placed a shaking foot on the wooden railing and tried to steady himself. Looking up at the ship that still to this day rivalled his own in size he prepared to board and drag his men back by the skin of their teeth that was if they had any left.

That's when he saw it.

Three hooded figures on top of the mast disappear in a blink of an eye.

Cursing himself from drinking so much he glanced around the ship for the three hooded figures he possible conjured up, but there wasn't any sign of them. Growling to himself he swore to put end to his drinking before he conjured up more visions.

"Stand down immediately." He yelled as soon as his feet landed on the deck of the Moby Dick. All eyes snapped to his and it seemed that the Whitebeard pirates back down as soon as his men obeyed his order.

"But sir," Johnson appeared next to him with a small wound to his head that bled worse than it looked.

"You're an idiot. Taking on Whitebeard pirates alone." He grabbed the boy by his collar and threw him over his shoulder and back onto his ship. He was wrong. That boy was still a pig headed boy who was biting off more than he could chew. Those type of men were of no use to him, those type of men just ended up dead.

"Admiral Garp."

He looked up and saw Marco the Phoenix, second in command to Whitebeard himself standing right in front of him.

"Marco, where's the old man." He spoke watching as his men all but scurried back to the ship with their tails between their legs. Which did not go unnoticed by the whitebeard pirates who were all snickering at them. Served them right too.

"Follow." Marco led Garp towards his pops. He didn't want the man to be anywhere near the brats, let alone on the ship. But if he kicked the man off without their usual 'chat' then it would be suspicious.

He stood by Pop's chair as Garp appeared in the middle of the deck surrounded by his brothers. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed Namur standing on the outside of the navigation room door, effectively blocking it from being opened at all. The brats were inside and safe.

"What is the meaning of this Garp?" Whitebeard spoke looking down at the admiral. "You willingly sending your men to be slaughtered?"

"Those brats were acting on balls alone, they were given no orders." Garp scoffed.

"Brats will do that." Whitebeard laughed and Garp felt himself release a small breath. He had lost a few men today, but nothing compared to what might have happened had he not woken up and stepped in.

"They never learn do they?" Garp shrugged and felt a small smile come to his face. No matter how many times he told his brats anything they always went against anything he said. They had such stubborn natures he wondered what part of their family they got it from. Or was he to blame for that attribute as well?

Whitebeard waved him off and he bowed slightly towards the great Yonko. They were both extremely smart men. Useless battling and useless deaths were not something either of them wanted to be a part of. They had come across these types of meetings on various occasions throughout their careers. Something's are just not worth fighting over.

But then again, somethings are.

Turning back he looked at a man he respected on a level that rivalled that of Roger.

"Six months ago there was a report given of a destroyed slavers ship heading for Sabaody. Do you recall anything about that?" he asked bluntly looking at the commanders for the slightest bit of reaction. But what he got wasn't from them, but for the younger recruits around them. Small whispers, and ever a few unsheathed their weapons.

"I remember it." Whitebeard spoke, all hint of laughter gone in a matter of seconds.

"The report said there were no survivors." He spoke the words that haunted his every waking moment. There was a silence on the deck and Whitebeard motioned for him to continue.

"Did you see anyone? Did anyone survive?" he asked hiding every hint of the small bit of hope that clung to those words. He wasn't sure what made him ask the man, whether it was for closure or not he couldn't tell.

"It's Garp." Ace shouted in a harsh whisper as they peeked through the glassed wall that lead out onto the deck. He knew the moment the old man stepped onto the deck that something bad was going to happen. Nothing good ever came from that man being around him and his brothers.

Sabo has his hold on Luffy as they stared at the man who was the cause of everything to change in their lives. Luffy gripped tightly onto his brothers as he stayed by their sides, not wanting to look at his grandpa.

They listened as their pops and gramps both talked. They weren't sure what was going on but they knew it was a form of peace treaty that neither would attack whilst they sailed away.

"Survivors?" Whitebeard spoke up and Ace felt himself start to worry. He was positive that Whitebeard would never hand them over, but their grandpa always knew things before everyone else. What if he found them?

"Three boys to be precise."

Sabo's mouth went dry as they listened in on the conversation. He didn't know what to think. Why was Garp even wondering about this now? He was a part of the marines, he knew exactly what had happened to them. So why was he questioning it now?

"An admiral wondering about three slave boys? I'm curious, who exactly were these three?" Whitebeard prodded and everyone stared on anxiously.

"What is he doing!" Ace snarled and looked at his siblings. All his Pops had to say was no, no there were no survivors.

"He's goading him for information." Octavia was the one to answer. Being slightly separated from the incident she could see it differently. She could tell instantly what was happening. "If he states that no he never say us, and then down the track we suddenly appear. Imagine the impact it would have, there could be a war right there and then." She explained and caught her brother's attentions immediately. "He's trying to find out if Garp was really behind your kidnapping and sale into slavery." She explained further.

"He's a marine admiral, of course he had something to do with it." Ace snarled.

"Not necessarily." Sabo interjected. Things were starting to make sense. Maybe Garp didn't know what happened to them? Maybe he was in on the mission, maybe it was just as a shock for him as it was for them.

"How could he not!" Ace growled as his eyes snapped back to the man who betrayed them all. He works for the people who took them. He was the only one who knew who they each really were and where they were hidden. No one else knew. Only he did. Something like that didn't happen without someone spilling a secret. And Garp was the only one who knew the secret.

"Just watch." Octavia silenced them as they waited for admiral's response. They each knew that the response to Whitebeard's question would be deciding a lot on how the rest of the conversation went.

"They were three important brats to some rich bastard." Garp shrugged off.

"You expect me to believe that you of all people give two shits about three random brats?" Whitebeard pressed not liking the man's evasiveness. "The truth this time, Admiral."

Garp stood in silence with his arms crossed over his chest and stared at the Yonko before him. He wasn't stupid. Nor was the Yonko in front of him. This game of chess they were both playing was nothing but that, a game. A game to see who would reveal their hand first. But the fact that Whitebeard had a hand in the game proved that he knew something. Something that the marines had no report over. Maybe there were survivors?

"My grandsons. The three brats were my grandsons." He spoke clearly and saw the man nod, but he gave nothing.

"What!" Sabo clamped his hand over Ace's mouth as he growled.

"Shut up or he will hear you!" Sabo whispered into his brother's ear as he struggled against him. "Calm down or we won't hear anything else." Finally seeing his brother get over the small shock he looked down and pulled back quickly from his brother. He could feel his brother's skin start to heat up and sweat beneath his own. The last thing they needed was for Ace to give them away completely.

"I'm fine." Ace spoke looking straight to Flick who had her palm facing towards him. "I'm in control." He explained and she nodded.

"Papa knows what he's doing." Flick spoke looking from one to the other.

"And if he reveals us?" Sabo asked not sure what any of them would do if they had to face Garp.

"Papa knows best. He won't let Garp take you, I won't let him take you." She spoke firmly and looked back out at the deck. Sabo noticed the way her hands were facing towards them. She would shield them for as long as she could. They all knew this.

"You have three grandsons and you let them get taken by slavers?" Marco couldn't hold it back any longer. Every second that the admiral stood in front of them, he could just imagine the thoughts that were going through his brat's minds, especially Ace. He wanted to hear the man's reasoning's and excuses from that day now. A growl escaped the admiral and he caught the eyes of the man that everyone feared.

"They were stolen from my homeland. They were safe. They were going to become marines and be free from their histories." Garp growled as his hands turned into fists. All his hate and rage was building up fast.

"Slavers uncovered who your grandchildren were and stole them?" Thatch stepped forwards and flanked his brother. They each knew the turmoil the boys went through in not knowing what truly was the cause of their suffering.

"The reasoning is redundant. Did you encounter any survivors?" He skipped over the commanders and looked back to the captain.

"Redundant!" Thatch shouted but Izo quickly placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"What if there were survivors? What would you do with such information?" Whitebeard prodded.

"I'd search for them. I need to know." Garp spoke firmly only letting the second part of his comment die at his lips. He needed closure. He needed to know what happened to his grandsons aboard the ship, he needed to know what his mistakes caused his boys to endure.

"Are you speaking as a grandfather, or as an admiral?" Izo snapped quickly before anyone could say another word. He knew where this conversation was going and he could tell immediately what his Pops was thinking. But he needed to know. He needed to decide quickly what kind of man was standing before him, a man who placed his family above his career or not.

"They are my grandsons." Garp shouted and a short wave of haki dispersed over the commanders.

"Namur." Whitebeard glanced over to the commander who was in the distance still leaning against the navigation room door casually.

"Pops are you sure?" Marco whispered and earned a small nod from his Pops. With that small nod, Marco, Izo and Thatch each made their way to the navigation room. They were not letting those four walk out alone.

Octavia was the first to push her brothers behind her and push her palms forwards. She knew this was coming. She knew the moment her father started questioning the admiral that he was either going to discover them, or leave in a body bag. Marco opened the door and looked in at them.

"Why?" Luffy spoke up for the first time since Garp had entered the picture. "Why do we have to see him?" his voice was smaller than anyone had heard in such a long time. Izo pushed past his brother and crouched down in front of Luffy.

"He's your grandpa. He misses you." Izo pulled the small black hood that was still covering his face off and placed his straw hat firmly back on his head where it belonged. "But he will not be taking you anywhere. Do you understand me? He will see you, speak to you but he will not touch you or take you anywhere." Izo gained a small nod from the boy and quickly stood up. He was about to step forwards when a small hands grasped his. Looking down he saw Luffy's small hand stretched up to his.

"Just to make sure he doesn't take me." Luffy whispered and Izo smiled down at him and gave his hand a small squeeze.

"Let's get this over with." Sabo groaned and stood next to Namur. It seemed that they were going out in a pack, guardians and wolves, standing in a united front. He was sure their gramps was going to be thrilled with the vision.

Octavia was angry. Taking the rear next to Thatch she refused to give the man her hand. She needed both her hands to be ready to protect her brothers. She had to hold her tongue as they stepped out of the navigation room. All she wanted to do was storm onto the deck and yell at the man who proclaimed to be their grandfather. Why did it take him this long to come for them?

Ace took the lead with Marco by his side. He didn't want to admit but his heart pounded in his chest rapidly. He didn't want to see the man again. Stepping around the corner his eyes immediately saw his grandfather as he stayed talking with Whitebeard.

"What are you doing here old man." He spoke before he even realised it. Dark eyes snapped to him and Garp stumbled.

"A-Ace."

"Sabo." Garp spoke as Sabo took his side and revealed himself.

"Luffy?" Garp questioned searching for the final of the three.

"Hi Grampa," Izo stepped out from behind them and revealed the youngest of his brats. Luffy looked up at him with familiar eyes.

"Luffy," Garp whispered not believing his eyes. They were alive. They were each alive and safe.

"You're not taking us back." Ace stepped forwards and growled at him. "But before you go, you can tell us who took us and why." He ordered.

"Sengoku. I still don't know how he found out, but he did. I've wondered if he's always known." Garp spoke not taking his eyes of the three of them. He stepped forwards just wishing to be closer to them. "But that won't happen again. I will hide you better this time no one will-" he took another step only to be pushed backwards. His arms came up in defence and he felt it. A solid barrier surrounding him.

"You will not be taking my brothers anywhere." A small voice appeared followed by the appearance of a young red headed girl. Her dark eyes pierced into his as she stepped through the commanders and stopped to stand in front of the boys.

"I guess I should call you gramps too huh," she laughed and he noticed her hands facing towards him. She was stopping him. His hands pressed flat against the barrier that held him. She was a devil fruit user too.

"Flick," Ace stepped forwards and tugged at one of her hands. And then the barrier was gone.

"Take another step and it goes back up." The girl warned him before she stepped back into the small line with his brats.

"Garp meet your granddaughter, Flick." Whitebeard laughed and the girl, now known as Flick curtsied in a way that was mocking everything that was said.

"We're alive. You've seen us. Now you can leave." Ace snarled not wanting to see the man for a moment longer.

"Ace," Luffy whispered at his brother.

"No Luffy, he was the reason we were taken. He let us be taken. It's been what eight months since we were taken, longer since that man has even seen us. And it's taken you six months since Pops found us for you too-"

"Pops?" Garp questioned and stared back at the Yonko with a glare. "Pops!"

"Yes, Pops." Sabo stepped forwards. "He saved us, they all saved us. They are our family now. We are staying here and we are the next Whitebeard Pirates. You can do whatever you want with that knowledge. But know this now Garp, touch a single hair on my siblings and we all come for you." Sabo spoke in a way that his siblings had never heard him before. It was always Ace who was threatening the lives of another for the sake of his family.

"Pirates…" Garp murmured and they could all see the rage that was building on the admiral's face. Marco stepped forwards preparing for anything as the admiral seemed to lose all control over himself.

"Whitebeard Pirates!" Garp roared as drew his sword from his belt. "Over my dead body." He yelled and charged towards them.

"Enough!" Flick shouted as she pushed her shield again to wrap around the admiral but she was not prepared for his force to come crashing down on her shield as it did. A scream bubbled through her lips as she was slammed to her knees under the force and the shield that protected them dissolved completely.

"Flick!" She felt Thatch's arms rip her from the ground and she was pushed behind the wall of commanders.

"Stop it!" Luffy pulled away from Izo's grasp and stood in front of his grandpa. The man froze instantly as Luffy's arms were spread wide in front of the whitebeard pirates and his brothers.

"Stop it Grandpa. Don't hurt them." He yelled and tried to force back the tears he felt creeping up.

"You hurt Flick." Luffy growled. "How could you hurt her, she's family." Luffy screamed louder causing the older man to stumble backwards. "We don't hurt family." Luffy's voice waved as his emotions took over. "Don't hurt my family. Don't ever hurt them!"

The way Luffy yelled at him caused him to falter. His family. Luffy's family. Not their family. In that split moment Luffy had pushed him out of the category of family. Luffy did. Slowly he lowered his weapon and pushed it back into its sheath and stepped backwards. He would not raise it again.

"We're Pirates now. And I'm going to be the Pirate's King." Luffy spoke proudly and this time he actually believed the words that escaped his youngest mouth. He stared at them for a long time, taking in each of their experiences. He never thought he would see the day where Ace stood beside someone, and not in front.

He had grown a least a head taller than the last time he had seen the boy. And when he thought back to it, he couldn't even remember how long ago it had been since he stopped by at his home island or even the last time he had seen his grandsons. He saw a number of new scars that littered the boy's arms and legs, and even a few around his face. He only hoped that they were from each other and not from their time on the slavers, but he wasn't that ignorant.

His eyes glanced over to Sabo, he had grown taller than Ace now, and with the top hat on he truly was given a height advantage. His pale skin hid the evidence of any attacks that they may have been up against in the past. But there were two new scars that could not be missed. The deep red scar that still looked sore around his eyes would never disappear. He remembered Makino telling him about his ship being blown up, but he never thought he cut it so close.

Luffy was a boy that didn't change, over the many years he had overlooked him the boy always was a bundle of happiness with that enormous smile on his face that he was sure he didn't inherit from any of the men in their family. But he was different now. He wasn't being restrained from jumping all over the deck like he imagined, he was reframed and hiding slightly behind their sharpshooter. This was a completely different Luffy.

"I apologise." He whispered looking at the young girl who was now protected by a wall of commanders. He could see her tiny body peek out from behind the fifth commander and he saw her nod. She was a bright one, tougher too. And she was now a part of the merry band that his grandsons had created.

Even throughout the months of him being inactive through their travels, he still noticed the endless paperwork and wanted posters that were sent through his office every week. He knew exactly who this young girl standing in front of him was and exactly what the government would do to get her back.

Maybe, just maybe, they would release the warrants on his grandson's heads if he returned the girl. Could he really hand over one girl for the sake of his three boys? Shaking his head he pushed back the motion. His grandsons would never forgive him for that and he wasn't sure if he could live with that notion either.

Sighing he stepped backwards and leant up against the mast. Today was a hell of a day and he craved the solitude of his next sake.

"What will you do now you know?" Thatch spoke breaking the silence and asking the question that they all were thinking.

"What a position you have put me in Whitebeard." Garp scoffed and looked at the captain who seemed to have planned this all along.

"A man should know his family is alive. Would you have preferred if I kept them a secret from you?" Whitebeard taunted already knowing the answer.

Garp stayed on his spot and stared at the commanders who guarded his brats. He had three choices that he could see in front of him. Hand all four of the brats over to the government and move on, if he could. Take either three or all four of them and hide them somewhere better this time. And lastly, let them stay with Whitebeard and they become pirates.

"No." Garp responded rubbing his aching neck. Turning back to face Whitebeard he stared at the man. "One thing happens to those brats and I will come for you."

"Understood." Whitebeard laughed and looked over at his four newest members. There would be nothing in this world that would keep them from growing up happy and safe.

"You four, stay off those god damn posters." Garp snarled before turning back and heading towards his ship.

"Four?" Octavia gasped and looked up at her brothers.

"Welcome to the family, you have Garp as a grandpa now too." Sabo laughed at her face.

"Wait." Luffy whispered and pushed away from the commanders and ran after his grandpa. "Grampa wait." He shouted louder causing the admiral to turn around. Luffy launched himself in the air and wrapped his arms around his grandpa.

"Love you Grampa." He spoke hugging him tightly. He knew his grandpa loved them, and he knew that he would never have done anything to hurt them. He always tried to make them stronger so they could protect themselves and each other.

"Love you too Luffy." Garp whispered to his grandson and felt the weight on his shoulders lift. His boys were safe. They were all safe.

"Look after those brothers and sister of yours." He placed the boy back on the ground and could see the sharpshooter standing just out of reach of them.

"Promise." Luffy grinned up at him and he felt himself match his smile. He knew they would be alright, so long as Luffy continued to smile as though there was not a single thing wrong in the world than he knew everything would be okay.

"Bye Grandpa," he glanced back over his shoulder and waved to the boys and his new granddaughter who stayed at the edge of the ship and waved as he jumped back onto his own.

"Set sail." He ordered and watched as the uninjured men rushed around the deck.

* * *

_**Remember, anyone can love you when the sun is shining; In the storms is where you learn who truly cares.  
**_

* * *

**So what do you think? **

**Garp was a little OC but hey - everything was taken from him... But he was hard to grasp for me. Hope he came out alright... **

**So Garp now officially knows :D Bout time too :D **

**Thanks to: Trich, Amy1945, Savage kill, MusicAngel, AddBaby, guest - [Ghost will be back next chap], GoldenMelon, LilNightmare, Goldspark, Yayoi Tsukikage, Nala1220**

**Next Chapter: Thatch's Mission [the time has come]**

**P.s Need more stories :D Anyone got any good stories that are reg updated. Running low here :D One piece / Naruto im good with :D**

**xx**


	26. Chapter 26 - Time's past, Mission's come

**"The trouble is you think you have enough time"**

* * *

Octavia sat on the large whales head of the Moby Dick with a scowl on her face. She was not happy. Over the last twelve months she had grown, she had learnt so much, and better yet, she was stronger than she had ever been in her entire life. Since her training and rehabilitation had begun she could now keep up with her brothers through their running exercises and most of their strength exercises. But now that was all too be put on hold.

For twelve months they had faced the craziness of the grand lone and the many appearances of both the marines and other pirates that had the stupidity or courage, she had yet to work out, to try and attack the Whitebeard Pirates. She had spent hours with her strength and agility training, and after many conversations she had convinced her guardians to allow her to start fighting with hand to hand combat and less about her powers. She wanted to be both proficient in offence as she was in her defence, and as much as they complained and argued about her being so close to a fight, they finally agreed. She wasn't as sturdy as her brothers, but she could at least give them a hard time in taking her down.

So, when she was told that Thatch and his division was preparing for their three week long mission, she was not amused. She refused to speak to the commanders, to her brothers and to her father. Thatch was her guardian, and he was teaching her exactly how to handle herself no matter what situation she was facing, so why she couldn't go along with him for a routine mission was beyond her.

What made her even angrier was that her brothers, her guardians and her Papa had all agreed that it would be safer for her to remain on board the Moby Dick. Sighing again she glared daggers into the smaller ship that was currently anchored next to them. She wanted it to burn to the bottom of the sea, with no one on it of course, but still she wanted to see it burn. She even had plans to try and anger Ace enough for him to burn it to a crisp, but he was true to his word, he had yet to lose control of himself.

"Are you really not going to say goodbye to me, Turtle?" she glanced over her shoulder and saw Thatch leaning over the railing and towards her on top of the figure head. Looking down she saw Ghost standing beside her guardian, just staring back up at her. He was using her dog to try and earn her attention. Growling she snapped her head back to the ocean in front of her.

But deep down, she was a little upset. Upset that none of her family seemed to think that she was capable enough to join them on the three week adventure. It hurt, even just a little. Izo had even designed her a whole range of cloaks that his her face while the hood was up. It concealed her weapons that were strapped to her outer thighs, but most of all it donned a large whitebeard symbol on the back. No one would mess with her.

"Please Princess, I won't be able to concentrate out there if you're angry with me." She didn't bother turning back, because she knew that he would be pulling the best puppy dog face that always made her cave and do whatever it was that he wanted to her to do.

"Goodbye." She grunted with her arms crossed over her chest. She heard her guardian sigh and begin to walk away.

"Look after her boy," she heard Ghost bark in response and she quickly turned her head. Her heart thumped in her chest and she quickly twisted her body around to actually see him walking away. His shoulders were slumped forwards and she could tell instantly by his demeanour that he was hurting too.

Disappearing from her spot she flickered towards him and threw her arms around his neck and clutched onto his back.

"I'll miss you." She whispered the truth and squeezed him tightly. Truly she would miss him, she would miss him more than she could possible comprehend. There hadn't been more than a few days of them being separated, and now it was going to be for three whole weeks. Twenty one days of complete separation and not a single word spoken. No den den mushi either, it was to be complete radio silence.

She didn't want to admit it, but she was slightly afraid. She had become so dependent on the man, she hadn't even realised how much until he told her of his mission. The first of the guardians to leave. She didn't like being the guinea pig either.

"I'll miss you more, Octavia." Thatch pulled her around to stand in front of him and pulled her up against his firm chest. "Soon you're going to be too big to carry." He spoke with a hint of sadness in his voice. She knew that he didn't want to leave her as much as she wanted him to leave, but this wasn't a choice. There was a mission and he had to complete it. It had been twelve months since any of the commanders were sent on a serious mission, and the public were starting to notice. The papers and tabloids were wondering where the famous commanders were all this time. Whitebeard needed them to be seen, they needed to prove to the world that they were still around and still as strong as they ever were.

"Wipe off four more seconds off your course. And annoy Izo every day to keep up your training with your bow. I want to see perfect targets when I return alright. Keep at your exercises every day and never let yourself fall behind your brothers, they'll never let you live it down. Oh and some of your muffins would be great when I return." She nodded against his chest not really able to form the words that were stuck in her throat. She wanted to beg him not to leave, but she knew that would only make it harder for the both of them.

"Promise me you'll come back." She whispered letting her anxiety break through.

"I'll be fine Princess-"

"Promise me." She clutched onto his shirt and she felt his arms tighten around her.

"I promise I will be back in three weeks. I promise you, Octavia." She looked up from his chest as he pressed a kiss firmly into her forehead.

"Be safe." She poked his chest with her finger.

"I will."

"Don't be stupid." She nudged him again.

"Ah no faith in me." He rolled his eyes down at her and earnt himself a slap to the chest. "I'll be fine, Princess. I promise." He leant forwards and pressed a final kiss into her temple before heading towards his ship with a lighter spring in his step.

She stood at the edge of the railing and waved a final goodbye as the smaller ship disappeared from sight. She looked down at Ghost who was still sitting beside her, obeying her guardian's commands. He had grown so tall that even sitting next to her, he towered her. She could pet his head from this height. Marco was right, he was definitely more wolf than he was a dog.

"You alright?" she glanced to her side as Sabo appeared.

"I think so." She sighed looking at the empty horizon. These next three weeks were going to be something new for all of them.

"Let's go find Marco." Sabo picked up her hands from the railing and dragged her towards the training rooms. Which reminded her of the task that Thatch had left for her in his absence, and by god she was going to complete it and smash it. She would make sure she left her guardians mouth wide open in shock for when he returned.

"Come Ghost," she called as Ghost yawned and stretched onto his feet. With a small yip her large grey wolf puppy followed after them and towards the galley.

* * *

Ace smirked to himself as they sat around their own official table in the galley. Everyone knew it was there table now. The four of them would often sit together, just the four of them with Ghost sitting beneath their feet, but then sometimes their guardians would join them for a meal and laughter. But they all noticed the longer they stayed aboard the Moby Dick the less their guardians were able to spend time with them all together.

It was only a matter of time before they had to get back to their normal jobs and responsibilities. Even each of them had received small tasks to help around the ship. Flick was helping out in the kitchen as much as she could, actually she was one of the only ones who had to be dragged away from the countless cooking books she wanted to learn off by heart, and when they couldn't find her there she was either in the training rooms or in the library. She was now completely sufficient in her reading abilities, and he would often find her and Sabo having a lengthy and sometimes heated discussion about a certain book they did or did not agree with.

Sabo was mainly in the navigation room, or in the library. But instead of reading, he was writing. He was writing more and more in those journals he loved to fill. From every major encounter or island they went on, there was always a new chapter added to the Whitebeard Wolfpack Adventures book, as Luffy dubbed it. Sabo's training with Namur was on a whole different level, Ace had looked in on one of their usual sessions a while back, and was flawed at seeing what his brother was now capable of. He was almost hesitant now to face his brother, almost.

For his youngest brother, he was sure Luffy had grown the most out of all of them. He was almost on par with Sabo and himself and that was saying something. Luffy was taking his vow to be the greatest captain ever, along with being the Pirates King very seriously. He was training every day and each day he would command one of the other pirates to spar with him or teach him something new. But in saying that, Luffy was still the number one trouble maker on all of the Moby Dick and that was saying something in comparison to Thatch.

For himself, however. He was proud of himself. It was three months after their last encounter with Garp that he made his position on the Moby Dick a permanent one, and one for everyone to see. He glanced over his shoulder and could see the dark shading of the tattoo that dawned his entire back, from shoulder to shoulder and down his spine, displaying Pops' mark. He remembered the day Marco took him onto an island by himself for scouting, one long glance in the window of the tattoo parlour and Marco dragged him inside without a second thought.

But that wasn't the only tattoo that he was proud of, the five letters that ran down his arm was his other treasure, another reminder of who he was. A, S, O, and L were printed from his shoulder to his elbow. They were his precious people. And after that date, his brothers and sisters vowed that the next island they would get their own, but that day was still pushing until today. Sabo swore that if the next island did not have a legitimate tattoo artist than he would do it himself.

"Oi Ace, time for work." Marco called his attention and he groaned. He did not like his role on the ship. He hated paperwork. Most of all he hated that he was to 'assist' Marco in the ships paperwork. Marco tried to claim that he would be doing all the ships paper work within a year, especially if the four of them kept going the way that they did. Marco claimed that he was turning grey far too young for it to be normal, so they were the obvious blame for it.

* * *

The night was cold.

She stood in the middle of the training room with her bow in her hand and her quiff over her shoulder, this was the fifth night in a row she found herself in the dark staring down at her targets. She was adamant to complete the mission Thatch had set for her before he left. She was going to hit all her targets. Her bow was going to be her weapon of choice, and as soon as she mastered the bow she would move onto a crossbow, but Izo wanted her to be able to use her own strength to draw a bow before using an automatic weapon. But of course she always had her family pipe on her persons at all time. No matter what weapon, or what power she gained in the future, she would never go without her precious weapon.

The moon shined through the row of windows that lined her training room. It shone like a beacon down on the target at the end of the room. It was as though it was calling to her to hit it, or mock her constant misses.

Sighing, she took up her position on the fourth marker that Izo had drawn on the ground. She would start from one spot and then gradually move further and further away the better she got. So far she had made it back to marker number four out of the room full of eight, she was halfway to being complete. But from this point she barely hit fifty percent of the time, and those odds were not good enough for her. She stared behind her at the remaining four markers, each getting a greater distance away, and last the final marker was behind a corner. She didn't even want to think of hitting the target from there, but for now it was one marker at a time.

_Take a firm stance._

She repeated the words of advice that Izo had drilled into her every day.

_Feet wider Flick._

She shuffled her back foot backwards and readjusted her balance. She knew time and time again that she wasn't strong enough yet. Even her training her muscles every single day, she still needed to be stronger. The closer points she had mastered were fine with the strength she currently had, but the ones she was attempting now were proving to be a struggle. She could feel it in the way her muscles twitched and her elbows trembled under the force of the bow.

_Keep your elbow up._

She placed an arrow upon the taught string and lined it up perfectly on the wooden bend beneath her left hand. Taking in a deep breath she raised her bow and pulled back her right hand. Her elbow adjusted so it was lined up perfectly with her shoulder. Ignoring the trembling of her elbow she tried to breathe through it, tried to stop the shakes.

_Pull it further. _

She dug deep and pulled the arrow back a little further. She could feel her muscles start to shake at the pressure of holding the string back.

_Concentrate and breathe. _

Letting her eyes close for a second she inhaled deeply before opening them and staring down her target.

_Open both eyes. _

She let the arrow fly and she watched as it pierced through the air and landed an inch off the centre of her target.

"God dammit." She cursed as she stalked towards her target to retrieve the five arrows that were spread randomly over her board. Not once did it hit the centre of the target. Not once. Her odds were getting worse and worse with every attempt. After five nights of pure target practise and she was getting nowhere fast. Sighing she went to place her bow down and repeat the numerous strengthening excises when she froze.

"You're pretty good girlie."

Her body froze and her eyes snapped to the entrance.

She didn't even hear him come in.

She didn't even feel him approach the room.

"Teach," she whispered in the night that seemed to vibrate off the walls around her. "What are you doing here?" she tried to keep her voice firm and hide any hint of anxiety that seemed to bubble in the back of her throat any time that man was around. She had become better at detecting that man's presence, but right now she was taken off guard. She never expected for him to come to her at night, never to approach her whilst she was alone.

"I was on watch when I saw movement," he explained pushing off the wall beside the only exit and took a step towards her. She suppressed her flinch and watched him carefully as he walked towards her. She resisted the urge to take a step backwards, she would not show him her fear. She felt herself getting tinnier and tinnier the closer he got to her.

"What are you doing?" she questioned a little more bluntly this time which caused him to pause his steps.

_Do not show him fear._

"I'm pretty good with a bow myself. I could take over for Thatch-"

"Thatch will be back. No one can replace him."

"I never meant replacing him kid." Teach almost growled at her. But she wouldn't have any of it.

"What are you really doing here?" she felt her hands begin to sweat beneath the wood of her bow. She tried to gather as much of her courage, and as Thatch would call it, her balls, and face him head on. He would not make her fear, he would not stand above her.

"I never really got a chance to apologise to you, I never get to speak to you alone to explain myself, Flick." She shuddered at the way he said her name. She wanted to reply sharply, telling him her brother had told him not to call her that. She had managed to avoid this man for so many months, but here he was now. Right in front of her, when she was alone.

"I haven't touched a drop of alcohol since that night. I swear." He took a step forwards towards her and this time her body flinched backwards. Her hands gripped her bow tighter, ready, just in case.

_Do not show him fear._

"I never meant anything I said. I would never wish any harm to you or those boys."

"They're my brothers." She growled interrupting his pathetic attempt of an apology. Every single person aboard this ship new exactly what the four of them were, they were a family, and they were a tighter family than that of the Whitebeard Family. They were sworn brothers and sisters a bond stronger than any blood. To call them anything otherwise was an insult.

"Sorry." He grunted. But with one look at him she could tell he wasn't at all sorry, the small veins that appeared on the side of his neck and forehead were enough to tell this was all a formality. She knew that Thatch and the others were barely on speaking terms with their brother, but that had nothing to do with her.

Everyone has to deal with their own actions and the consequences that follow, he was no exception to the rule.

But, she knew the real reason why Teach was here tonight. She knew that Teach used to be in Thatch's division, and he was still serving his punishment which meant, strictly no missions, no leaving the ship other than picking up supplies. And she knew that this, pathetic attempt at an apology, was just to get out of the rest of his punishment. For the last several months Teach had been reduced to being a low level pirate, he was given lists to restock the supplies on the ship and given orders to clean the deck. It was clear to anyone that he was going to have to prove himself again, not only to the commanders but to Pops as well.

He not only discovered sensitive information, but then he divulged that information to the single person that was not meant to know. Now, the entire crew both old loyal members and the newest members all knew about her black warrant out for her head. Everyone knew about the infinite reward for her handover. That single drunken act, was an act of betrayal and for that he had to work to get that trust back.

"Thank you for your apology, I will inform Thatch and the others." She nodded towards the man and hid the well place smirk that she was feeling on the inside. She was not stupid. She could see through this man without even hearing him speak. She had him worked out on the very first meeting, he was only looking out for himself no matter what he did.

"Look I'm trying to make things right here, alright." He snapped and took a large step towards her. His hand looked as though it was reaching towards her. Her heart raced in her chest and she felt her hand reach for an arrow. She would not be defenceless. She had not trained for so long to feel defenceless.

_Do not show him fear!_

"Teach."

He stopped and she quickly took a few steps backwards thankful for the interruption. Her eyes darted to the entrance and she saw Marco standing there. His presence alone was enough to terrify anyone, but his voice, his aura of threat that he radiated was enough to even make Teach stumble.

"Good night, Flick." Teach nodded towards her before slinking out of the room. Marco stood his ground and watched as his brother left the room. He was not happy. He had only been thinking of checking up on the brats when he saw shadows of people in the training rooms. As soon as he sensed the presences in the room, did he change his course.

"Marco," Octavia whispered and he quickly moved to crouch down in front of her. His eyes checked over her body making sure nothing was out of place. His brother would have his head if anything should happen to his princess, and that threat was very real.

"Are you alright?" Marco whispered and he found his arms full of the young girl. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he cradled her to his chest. He didn't like this. He didn't like her being in a room alone with his brother, especially in the middle of the night. He knew that Teach wouldn't do anything to harm her, but his brother was never good with words, and with their history. He wanted to keep those two apart as much as possible.

"What did he say to you?" he prayed that his brother wasn't dumb enough to bring up anything sensitive to her.

"I'm fine." She whispered but he could feel her fear rolling off her in waves. "I'm fine." Pulling her back he looked into her watered eyes and gently brushed the few stray tears off her cheeks.

"What are you doing still awake Missy, Thatch would have my head if he knew you were awake after bedtime." Marco smiled trying to change the subject quickly.

"Practising." She mumbled and looked towards her target, "But I'm not getting anywhere, I'm still too weak." She leant her head against his shoulder and he instantly wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Let me see," he nudged her towards the markers on the ground and he was shocked to see her walk to the one in the centre of the room. He looked at the target and then towards the three spare markers in front of her. Had she already completed those distances? He watched with careful eyes as she mimicked Izo's words under her breath. He hid the smirk as she followed the sharpshooter's advice down to the tee.

And then she let go.

His eyes widened in shock as the arrow flew from her hands and impeded it deeply into the cork board at the end of the room. The speed. The accuracy.

"See, I can't hit the middle anymore." She sighed in defeat, but he was more than amazed and what she had just done. She actually hit the board, yet she was upset she didn't hit the bullseye. He had to shake his head at her and her brothers thought mentalities, if it wasn't perfect, it wasn't good enough.

"One more time." He asked and she groaned.

"It will be the same as before, I can't do it, I'm just not strong enough." She sighed and he wacked her lightly on the back of the head.

"I am your teacher, only I can tell you what you can and cannot do. Now line it up." He ordered and she obeyed with a roll of her eyes. He looked down at the girl who was slowly but surely turning into a miniature Thatch, attitude and all. He made a mental note to himself to make Izo teach her something girlie or get her to spend more time with Lyon baking cakes and less time swearing. Maybe he could convince her to wear a dress, or even a skirt.

This time he watched her like a hawk. Every moment he captured and analysed.

"There happy now." She grunted but he stared at her.

"You're right. You aren't strong enough." He spoke but held up his hand to stop her loud and probably cursed response. "But, you have another strength you are completely neglecting." He watched as her eyes widened and her brows creased together in frustration.

"This isn't one of Thatch's 'your will is your strength speeches' is it? Because no matter how much I will myself to be stronger, it's not actually going to let me lift something heavier." She sighed and he resisted the urge to laugh.

"No Octavia. Your wind."

"My wind?"

Octavia stared at her guardian with shock. Her wind. Her power. If she could use her wind, to help push the arrow faster from her release than it would stay on course for longer, it wouldn't deviate from its path. It should, would, hit her target every time.

"Try it." Marco smirked at her and she already took her stance.

Holding her bow high up next to her shoulder she felt the firm string press against her cheek as she lined up her target. Her eyes never moved from the mark. Two fingers stretched her string back further to sit just beside her ear.

The familiar pressure in her stomach moved up her arms and towards her right hand and down the two fingers holding back her arrow. Pulling the wind in her fingers she released it all at once. Her eyes followed the arrow as it pierced through the air at a frightening speed and then it struck.

Her body jumped in fright as the arrow head disappeared into the cork board along with half of the stem.

"Holy shit." Marco gasped beside her.

"Language." She whispered but didn't take her eyes of the imbedded arrow.

Slowly they both walked towards the target at the end of the room. She gulped as her eyes moved to the now broken board and arrow. A small smile crept on her face as she reached her hand up to the broken arrow, but what she really looked at was where it was impeded. Right in the centre.

"Well." She laughed and tried to yank the arrow out of the board.

"No leave it." Marco smirked already wanting to see the looks and wonders of the others on board at the sight in front of him. Mainly he wanted to show Pops exactly what she had done, and maybe rub it in Izo's face just a little. He wasn't the first commander for nothing.

"We will get you another target tomorrow," he gently took the bow from her hand and confiscated it before she could destroy anything else with that power of hers.

"Thanks Marco," she whispered and took his spare hand. Together they walked back towards the stairs and headed towards her room. Her eyes shinned with excitement and pride, as she walked with a smile on her face.

He glanced down at her several times and each time their eyes connected he was rewarded with one of her own famous smiles. He was pretty damn pleased with himself, even more considering that no one had seen this smile since Thatch had left on his mission. Five days of a slowly saddening girl, and finally he found her smile again.

* * *

Izo woke up early that morning to prepare a new set of training regiments for the brats. But when he walked into the training room he froze on his spot. His arms crossed over his chest as he stared at the practical joke in front of him. Instantly he thought it would have been Thatch's doing, but he was on a missions.

Which left one of the other commanders who wanted to mess with him. And when he found out whoever it was, they better be prepared for the retaliation that was waiting for them.

Taking the broken board off the wall he stormed towards the galley, determined to find out which of his brothers was going to suffer his wrath. It was one thing to mess with him or his room, but another to mess with one of the brats training.

He looked over to the commanders table and saw it filled, along with the four brats and Pops.

"Who fucked with my training board?" He slammed the board down on the table and watched as everyone jumped. He was not in a good mood.

"Hey!" Flick jumped up on her stool and growled towards him. Good, he thought, she was pissed off just as much as he was. This was her training, and she was more than determined to master the bow in the shortest amount of time.

"Holy shit, did that go right through?" Namur asked picking up the target and inspecting it turning forwards and backwards looking at the metal arrowhead that had pierced the cork and gone straight through.

"Language." Luffy growled and then burst into laughter.

"This isn't funny Luffy. This will set back Flick's training by a whole day." Izo slammed his hands down on the table and stared at Pops who held out his hand to Namur for him to inspect.

Octavia stared at her Papa with hopeful eyes. She wanted to see his reaction to her little training session last night. She glanced over to Marco who wasn't giving a single hint away that he was her trainer last night.

"Did you do that?" Ace whispered from beside her and she had her brothers' full attention. She peeked over to Sabo and Luffy who were looking at her, waiting for the answer. She gave them a small nod and their eyes snapped back to the board.

"So who did it?" Izo asked again.

"Maybe Octavia here could shed some light on this?" Whitebeard spoke looking down at her. She felt her cheeks redden and she bit her lip trying hard not to burst out with a smile rivalled that to only Luffy.

"Flick could never do something like this, she barely made mark three yesterday. Not that, that itself isn't impressive. But this, she couldn't do this even if she was standing right in front of the board." Izo retorted.

"Hey!" She snapped looking back at her teacher.

"Sorry Flick," Izo spoke but she knew he was only stating the truth. She had only been able to make that short distance and even then the arrow head never punctured the whole way through. But for an arrow to be speared halfway through the board and a crack to form down the middle, this was a disgraceful joke from someone and he was going to find out who.

"It was me." She planted her hands on the table and glared at her guardian.

"Flick, be serious."

"It was my arrow that pierced that board. It was my own bow that let that arrow fly." She growled proudly of her own achievement.

"It's true. I was there." Marco added with a pleased smile on his face.

There was a silence around the table as everyone looked between Flick and Marco. No one was sure what to believe.

Ace looked at his sister with a smug but proud smile on his face. His siblings were getting stronger each and every day, and soon enough not a single person in this world was going to be able to mess with them, or their family. They were going to live up to their Pop's vision, they were going to wreak havoc on this world.

"Bullshit." Izo stood up straight and crossed his arm over his chest. "Prove it Flick." He challenged her.

"Fine." She turned and without a glance back headed out of the galley and towards the training room. Marco caught up to her side quickly and handed her previously confiscated bow and arrows.

"Just like last night, make him eat those words." Marco ruffled her hair and fell back in line with his brothers.

Ace, Sabo and Luffy flanked her as she walked into their training room. They had her back no matter what happened.

"The target?" she asked looking at Izo as her previous target was now destroyed.

Izo pulled out a barrel and placed it at the end of the room and with a red marker he drew a circle right in the centre of it. It was lower than what she was used to practising with. But it didn't matter. It was more the speed and force that she was trying to prove was her, but hitting the direct middle was going to be adding the middle finger to her salute.

"So how does it feel brother?" Namur taunted Izo as he gulped down his drink.

"Shut up," Izo growled and pushed his brother of his shoulder.

"Sorry Izo," Octavia spoke up feeling a little guilty about her midnight training and her little show and tell this morning. Especially now that the entire crew were throwing a celebration in her honour. She claimed that it was only an excuse, the crew always found the smallest of reasons to use as a celebration and today it just happened to be her.

"Never apologise for success." Izo snapped at her but his growl faded as he looked at her. She didn't want him to be angry at her. She wanted to make everyone proud of her, she just wanted to prove to everyone that she was strong enough and that she will continue to grow stronger every day, she will never give up.

"Come here," Izo opened his arms and she shuffled over her seat and into the man's lap. She missed Thatch. She missed his arms and his lap. The day had gone on long enough and her eyes began to droop. She fought with her instincts to look for her favourite guardian to take her to bed, and to read her a story or hum her his favourite lullabies, but she knew he wasn't here. Thatch was still on his mission.

He was on a mission.

* * *

Luffy took up his spot on the figure head of the Moby Dick as the sun came up just waiting. He was always the first one to wait for the morning bird to drop off the weekly paper. But today was an extra special day that he was waiting for. Every month they would release the new or upgraded set of wanted posters. He had begun doing this ever since their grandpa had left them, he wanted to make sure that their names weren't on any new posters, or if Flick appeared.

Pops had once told him that it was the job of the captain to know the bounties of everyone he held precious to him and especially the people who wanted to take those special people away from him. So from that day forth he was looking through every face that came through the papers.

Originally it was all his siblings and guardians that started waiting for the bird to drop, but now it was just him. He usually was the first to grab the paper and was first to rip it open until the many flyers fell out and onto the ground. He wanted to see them first, so now it was his job to get the paper, on the first day of every month and then hand it into whichever commander he found first. The other days, he didn't care about and left that job up to the others.

"Hai!" he screamed and waved his arms at the familiar bird. He grinned as the bird threw down a curled up paper and he caught it before it even entered the ship. Waving goodbye to the bird he sat back down and tore off the seal of the paper and uncurled it. Ignoring everything that was in his way he tore through until he found the loose pieces of paper.

He was rewarded with a familiar sight of Shanks. It seemed he caused a disturbance at a marine base and earnt himself another increase. Flipping the page he skipped over the worthless looking pirates until he froze.

A set of a pained eyes stared back at him.

A pair of eyes that reminded him so much of his sister.

Accept they weren't hers.

Demon of Ohara

Nico Robin

Growling he flung himself off the figurehead and stormed towards Pops office. Not bothering to knock he walked through the office and saw Marco and his Pops discussing something over a couple of maps.

"Luffy?" Marco sighed. "How many times have we told you to knock?"

"What is it brat?" Whitebeard sat back and cleared his large book off his desk already knowing what was about to happen. Luffy closed the door behind him remembering his manors and pulled himself up onto Whitebeard's desk.

Without saying anything Luffy revealed the wanted poster that he had found and waited for an explanation.

"I see." Whitebeard sat back and collected a large sake bottle from within his top draw of his desk.

"Nico Robin?" Marco spoke out loud curious as to why he picked up this poster. Did Luffy make a connection between his sister and this girl?

"Why is she sad?" Luffy asked and waited for the answer. He noticed Marco look to Whitebeard and he followed his gaze.

"Why do you think she's sad?" Whitebeard asked.

"I know she is." Luffy answered with certainty. He knew she was sad, he knew she was in pain and it reminded him of Flicks wanted poster and he didn't like it.

"She's sad because she's alone." Luffy continued.

"Luffy," Marco whispered and he looked up at his guardian.

"But that's okay. When I get my own crew I'll find her. I'll make her my nakama. And then she won't ever be sad or alone again."

"You will make a fine captain my boy." Whitebeard grinned and he found himself matching his smile. Happy with his response he picked up his wanted poster and headed back to his room.

"Is that a wise ideal?" Marco asked questioning his pops.

"Only time will tell my son. Only time." Whitebeard laughed and pulled his large book back onto his desk.

Jumping on his bed Luffy moved to the wall and placed the wanted poster right next to the copy of Shanks'. Except this time he folded over her title of Demon of Ohara and just left her name written at the top.

No person was ever born a demon, or a monster. Only people became them.

He vowed on his dream that he would make this girl his nakama and see her smile.

* * *

_**"You can't make up for lost time. You can only do better in the future."**_

* * *

**There we go what do you think? **

**So it's been twelve months :D **

**Thatch has gone on his mission :( . [Yes, my timeline is slightly different, but it will match up for the future resentment...] **

**Little bit of each brat there and what they've been doing. **

**A lot of queries lately about Flicks future crew... she will be both Whitebeard and Strawhat. But she will not be a strawhat in the beginning. That is all. **

**Thanks to. Nala, MoltenThunder, guest, guest2, AddBaby, SavageKill, Lilnightmare, Nairn, Goldspark, guest3, Kankananime :D Thankyou lovelies**

**Next up: Training as a pack, nightmares return **


	27. Chapter 27 - Darkness Returns

_"Until we have seen someone's darkness we don't really know who they are. Until we have forgiven someone's darkness, we don't really know what love it."_

* * *

_Thatch._

"I'm going crazy." Octavia mumbled to herself over and over again. She sat up on the mast in her new favourite spot to be alone. There was only one other person who could get up here and that was using wings, other than that, this place was her sanctuary.

She had woken up again before the sun had even risen and searched for her guardian. Every corner she turned she swore she could see his back turning in the distance. But it wasn't him. He wasn't here. She looked down at the book she was trying so desperately to read and to understand, but it mocked her.

Dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

No matter how often she read the phrases or understood the theory behind the disorder, she couldn't focus. She couldn't grasp the breathing exercises or meditation long enough for the moments to pass. Every time she closed her eyes she felt her heart thump in her chest loudly and her anxiety rose. All she could do was repeat over and over in her mind that Thatch was safe, he was on a mission.

"He's on a mission." She felt her hands grip at her hair in frustration.

"He will be safe."

She trusted him with everything she had, and she knew he would come back to her safely. She knew he would be fine. He would complete his mission with practised ease and return back to her in a few more days. But it didn't help. No matter how many facts she through back against her darkened thoughts, it never seemed to make any difference.

"He would be fine."

Her hands moved from her hair and gript onto the wooden railing below her. She let her eyes roam over the surprisingly calm waters ahead of her hoping that its usual peace would calm her.

"I'm going insane." She mumbled trying to shake away her thoughts.

Seeing the ocean used to ground her enough to fight off the bad thoughts and nightmares, but it wasn't working as well as it used too. Closing her eyes she began to count from one to three hundred, just like her father always told her to.

"Two hundred and ninety-eight-"

"Flick."

She glanced down onto the deck and saw her father staring up at her.

"Morning Papa," she spoke softly and he signalled for her to come down. Flicking down from her spot she landed on his broad shoulder.

"You know I don't like you up there, this early by yourself." He gave her leg a small squeeze as he walked them towards the galley.

"I like watching the sunrise." She explained again for what seemed the thousandth time. It was something her and Thatch used to do together, especially when they entered a different climate. Thatch wanted her to see every different type of sunrise and sunset, all the different parts of the world.

"I do too my dear," he laughed as they entered the already noisy galley and headed towards their usual table.

* * *

Sabo's breathing was laboured as he pushed off the wall and ran back the other way for what seemed like the hundredth time this morning. He swore he could feel the exact spot where his hand seemed to dent into the wall every time he made it to each end of the training room.

Gasping he ran back to the other side, while ignoring the burning sensation in his calves. Every morning he was here, running laps. And every morning he increased the amount he did, or decreased the amount of time it took to complete. He was determined to get faster and stronger every single day. Lately, with everything that was going on around them he needed something to take his mind off their pasts he needed to focus on getting stronger.

Flick, was shutting herself out from everyone and he didn't know how to help her. She refused to talk to them about her nightmares or her flinching at every sound or sudden movement. He knew that Thatch leaving was a bad idea, and now he wondered if it would have been better if she had gone with him. Thatch was strong, he was super strong. He would have been able to protect her if anything out of the ordinary should have happened, but this, what was happening to his sister was not something that he could just fix alone.

It put everything into prospective for him, for all of them really. The four guardians, had become a safety net for them. Whenever they were in trouble or needed someone that they trusted to talk to, the guardians were always there for them. They created this safety bubble around them and nothing could touch them, physically or mentally. Over the last twelve months they were locked away on the Moby Dick and separated from the outside world, but right now they, Flick, were plunged back into the darkness of that world. And she was alone, her safety net was ripped off of her like a band aide and none of them knew how to respond to it.

He was actually afraid of when Namur was going to be sent away for a mission.

What would he do?

How would he react to it?

He saw Namur every single day, they talked; they trained. Namur meant more to him that just being a guardian, that title was minute compared to what their relationship really was. Their bonds, each of their bonds, was on a whole new level and no one realised it until it was too late.

"Sabo."

His head snapped up and he saw Namur standing in the entrance way. He knew why he was here. He pushed off the wall and continued to run down the length of the room ignoring his conscience and kept going.

"Flick is looking for you," Namur continued to speak as he ran.

"I know what you're doing." Namur spoke neutrally after the silence proved that he was not answering.

"I'm training." Sabo stated.

"You're avoiding." Namur walked into the middle of the room and blocked his path. Growling he skidded to a stop and moved into a defensive crouch.

"I'm getting stronger." He snapped lifting his fists up in front of his face.

"This isn't you Sabo. I expect this kind of behaviour from Ace. But not from you." Namur didn't move, and didn't bother moving into their normal defensive stance.

"Shut up." He yelled and pushed forwards. If Namur wasn't going to attack, then he was. Throwing his fists forward he aimed for the vital parts he was trained to hit.

Namur side stepped away from him and sighed. "Sabo that's enough." He caught the boy's fist in his hand and quickly caught the other as he tried to break free.

"Fight me!" Sabo growled.

"You are not helping anyone by acting like this. Now stand down." Namur shouted and he felt the boy respond in a very Ace like manner.

"I'm doing this for them. I'm doing this to get stronger." Namur winced as Sabo slipped from his hold and felt a solid kick to his side.

"No Sabo. You're doing this because you don't think you can help your sister." Namur pushed the boy away and saw his words have an effect. Sabo paused his advances and stared at him.

"Do you really think this is helping Flick? Or your brothers? They need you to be there with them." Namur sighed and saw Sabo's shoulders sag in defeat. He had guessed it in one.

"I can't help her this time. I don't know how." Sabo whispered in defeat and sank to the ground. "She's my little sister and I don't know how to protect her from this."

"You're helping her just by being there for her, listening to her and reassuring her. Leave the counselling up to Lia." Namur knew instantly just by looking at his charge what was running through his head. Sabo was a calculative boy, he was smart and wise beyond his years and would think rationally about everything before making a decision. He would stand in silence reading into every aspect of a situation before making a decision. To put it simple, Sabo was the brains, Ace was the brawns and Luffy was the unexpected.

"You're smart Sabo. But that doesn't mean you have to fix this on your own. I know you. And I know you feel like you're failing her. But you're not. You are helping her with every conversation you have with every smile you give her. You're not alone kid."

"What do I do?" Sabo finally looked up at him.

"Go find her, I believe she's making cupcakes for Luffy." Namur smiled as Sabo rushed off from his training and straight towards the galley.

* * *

Sabo was even more concerned, it had been three days since his epiphany and he tried to stick true to himself. He glanced down to his sister who was trembling under his blanket and in his arms. By day twelve her nightmares were back in full force.

The moment her eyes opened she was begging for Thatch, always asking where he was and they explained over and over again about his mission and how many days were left. He could see her mind trying to process what she was told, and she tried to accept it. But he could see it, the moment when her mind jumped ship and she was back in her own nightmares.

Two weeks into the separation, she refused to sleep, refused to train, refused to eat. They didn't realise until Luffy had confided with them, he told them that she was pushing her plate onto his. He was worried that she wasn't eating enough. They were all noticing it now.

"She's getting worse," Ace moved over to his bed with Luffy in tow. They stared down at their sister with pained expressions.

"He'll be back. Just over a week and he'll be back." Ace whispered down to her trembling form. He never thought things could get so badly so quickly. He knew that his siblings all depended on their guardians, more than he would have liked. But it hadn't been long enough. It hadn't even been eight months since they had been rescued.

"What do we do?" Luffy whispered to his older brothers.

"I don't know." Sabo was the one to break the silence. They didn't know what else they could do. Every time she woke, they would repeat the same explanation. Thatch was on a mission. Thatch would be back, he would be safe. But no matter how many times they explained it, the nightmares always returned at night.

"Morning Brats," Marco entered the galley and saw his four favourite kids sitting at their usual table. His eyes wandered over to Flick and he winced at the dark circles that were getting progressively worse every day.

"Morning Marco," Sabo was the first one to answer followed by a drowned out echo of his siblings. He sat in front of Flick and caught her eyes.

"Hey sweetheart, how you feeling today?" his hand covered hers and she tightened her grip around his.

"Fine," she whispered and tried to smile to him. But he knew. They all knew. She was fighting her demons again. And she was fighting them alone.

"He'll be back soon. I promise." He whispered but he knew that it wouldn't help. Only his idiot brother could chase away the demons that hung over her head.

"I know. He promised." She spoke her usual response. But now he was beginning to think that it was more for herself than anyone else. He watched as she pushed away her breakfast and headed towards the kitchen. He only hoped that a day with Lyon in the kitchen would help her.

"Marco," he turned to look at Ace. "Is there any way to contact Thatch?"

"No." he groaned. "Keep an eye on her. Come and get me if anything happens." He pushed away from the three worrying brats and headed towards his Pop's office. They had to do something before things got worse for her. Everyone knew that Thatch would never forgive himself or anyone else is she got worse.

* * *

_Thatch is on a mission. _

She starred down at her shaking hands as she tried to pick up the tray of muffins.

_He'll be home soon._

Her hands trembled as she struggled to carry it to the table.

_He's on a mission. _

She knew what was happening and it scared her more than anything in the world. But she kept repeating it to herself over and over again, trying to get her mind to believe it. She tried to rid her mind of the horrors that it came up with.

_He's safe. _

_He's not hurt._

_He's on a mission._

"Flick," a small scream bubbled from her lips and she felt the tray between her hands fall to the ground in a loud heap. Turning quickly she felt her hands pull up and her shield ripple down her arms. Her eyes darted around the room trying to find the enemy.

_He's hurt._

_They took Thatch._

"It's alright, Flick. It's just me. It's Lyon." Her eyes focused and she could see her friend crouching in front of her. She was in the corner of the kitchen, her back was to the cupboards behind her and her shield protecting her.

"Lower the knife sweat heart, you're safe here." Her eyes snapped down to her hands and she saw the large butcher's knife in her hand. She didn't even remember holding it, or when she grabbed it.

_They took him. _

_He's not here._

"Thatch," her voice trembled as she searched the kitchen. He was always there. He was always there for her. "Where is he!"

"He's on a mission remember. He is safe. I promise Flick, he will be back in a few more days." Lyon placed his hands gentle on her shield.

"He's on a mission." She repeated her words over and over. "He's on a mission."

"That's right. He'll be back soon."

She looked back to the knife and quickly threw it to the ground and as far away from her as possible.

"He's on a mission." She repeated again and again.

* * *

Ace sat on his bed with his arms firmly wrapped around his sister. Seven days to go, one more week. That's all he repeated over and over again in his head. Seven more days and Thatch would be back. Seven more days and his sister would be okay.

Sabo lay on the other side of them with Luffy tucked in protectively. It was hard for all of them. Flick's fear brought up the fear in Luffy and so did him waking up in her shield. When Thatch returned, they were never going to let any of the guardians leave again. They were not going to be doing this until he and Sabo felt they were ready.

"She thinks were back there," Sabo whispered the truth that everyone was thinking, but no one would acknowledge it. The horror that none of them wanted to relive, but one of them was.

"She thinks they've taken Thatch to that room." Ace looked down at their fragile sister and sighed. He wanted Thatch to return today. He didn't want to watch her struggle for another seven days. He didn't want to struggle for the next seven days.

"When's Thatch coming back?" Luffy whispered and curled in next to his sister. His hands moved to her hair and stroked it, mimicking the many thousands of times she had done it to him.

"Seven days." Ace and Sabo whispered at the same time. Seven days too long.

* * *

Sabo was sitting in Lia's office in the infirmary raiding through Lia's large collection of medical books. There was a stack of books on the table that he had already skimmed through. The moment he saw Flick reading through a PTSD book, he knew that she was already diagnosing herself.

She was reliving that time.

She was reliving her past and that alone was scary.

Flicking through the book he stopped when a chapter heading caught his eyes. Reading through the steps he started to think of some things that may help his sister with coping this last week. And then when Thatch was back, they were going to sit them both down and talk. He knew that this probably would have happened to any one of them, but he was mostly concerned with Flick and with Luffy. Luffy masked a lot of his pain with his smile and can do attitude. But he knew when there was something that brought upon one of his awful memories, it went south really quickly.

And seeing that Luffy was still adamant that he was going to set sail when he was sixteen years old that meant they had just over five years to prepare him for the world out there. They had to make sure that he was strong enough and smart enough to handle the world and everything they threw at him.

Making a mental list he reminded himself that he needed to teach his brother how to read maps, there was no way he was letting him set sail without even knowing where to go to start with. And maybe get Flick to teach him how to cook something slightly edible.

Getting back to his plans he looked down at the small notepad he had with a dozen ideas on what they could do to keep Flick occupied and keep her mind in the present. First on the list was yoga.

"Lia!"

His head snapped up at the sound of his sister's voice entering the other room. He closed his book and pushed off his chair to go make sure that she was alright.

"Octavia, what is it?" Lia's voice snapped to her as soon as she entered the room. She could feel her heart racing in her chest as she flew down the corridors and to the one person she needed to see. Something was wrong, and she knew that something was wrong with her.

"I can't stop it racing. I know I'm panicking. And I keep telling myself he's on a mission. But it won't stop." Her voice came out quickly and sharply as Lia moved her to sit on the bed. "It's a panic attack isn't it? I can't stop it." She panted looking at Lia as she listened to her heart.

"Yes sweetheart. But the fact you understand what's going on, is why you're still in control." Lia knelt down in front of her so their faces were level. She brushed a lose curl from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She could feel her tears welling up in her eyes.

"I don't want to feel like this anymore." She admitted as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't want to feel scared in my own home." Lia hushed her and pulled her into her chest. She wrapped her arms around her neck and buried her face into her long blonde hair.

"You've been reading those books I gave you?" Lia asked and she pulled back and wiped the snot off her face and nodded.

"I read a page every morning, just like you said. And it works for most of the day but then I see something, or something reminds me…" she trailed off as they both knew exactly what she was remembering.

"Well I think your brother is working on something for you that might help you sleep too." Lia turned and motioned towards her back office. She glanced up and saw Sabo standing in the doorway.

"What do you think about yoga or meditation?" Sabo lifted his notepad and showed off his list of ideas that he had been researching. She gave a small laugh and wiped her face clear.

"You think you'll get Luffy to do Yoga with us?" she laughed already feeling better.

"So a comedy show it is then." Sabo stepped forwards and pulled her off the bed and held her hand as they walked out of the infirmary. He glanced over his shoulder and gave Lia a small nod in appreciation. It wasn't the first time that Flick had gone rushing to the doctor for help with her anxiety attacks or self-diagnosis'.

* * *

They took Thatch.

But he never came back from that room.

She searched everywhere for that room, but she could never find it.

They took him to punish her.

She knew that.

She did something wrong.

And Thatch was paying for it.

She had to save him.

She had to be the one to be punished.

Not Thatch.

Marco was sitting in Whitebeard's office staring at the four brats slaying down on Pop's bed. The two loyal pups were sitting at their feet protecting them from something that no one could see. It was the middle of the night and his brothers were sitting around the room with a bottle of sake in their hands. It was Luffy's scream in the middle of the night that woke them all up.

The rushed to his voice to see the boys holding down Flick as she screamed out for the pain to stop, to stop hurting Thatch. He didn't think he would get the sound of her voice out of his mind and neither would the others.

"It's not your fault," he felt Izo's hand on his shoulder but he shook his head. His eyes glanced over to her little brother who was curled around her covered frame. His hat shielding away the pain in his eyes. The pain that they were all feeling.

What was worse, was the terrified scream that echoed the hallways of Luffy. His pleas for help and for Flick to stop it. He was the one to catch her before she threw herself down the flight of stairs.

"Why would she do that?" A small muffled plea came from Luffy. He didn't understand. He knew that her nightmares were getting worse and worse since Thatch had left, but why did she hurt herself. He felt a pull against his arms and he was lifted off his sister's bed and into Izo's arms.

"She thought Thatch was getting punished." All eyes moved to Ace. He was sitting against the wall with his sisters' body clutching at his shirt. That moment was the only time in the last twelve months that he may have lost control over himself. He remembered the sounds of Luffy's screaming as he held Flick back. Those sounds were the only thing that brought those memories flashing back to the surface. Luffy's pleas for everything to stop, for people to stop hurting his family.

He realised now more than ever that they were more damaged than he thought they were, even himself. He could remember it clearly now, the way Luffy would pound against Flick's shield begging for him to be taken as he was electrocuted or knocked out and dragged towards that room.

"Ace," his eyes snapped to Marco who had his hand on his shoulder. "You're safe. They're safe." Marco repeated the words he was told a time that seemed so long ago.

"She thought we were back there." Ace whispered looking down at her. "She thought if she punished herself, they would return Thatch to her."

"She'll be okay." Sabo looked down at their adjoining hands and prayed for his sister to recover from this. He prayed for forgiveness for letting this happen to her, for letting it get this far. He knew the yoga and the meditation only worked for a short moment, but it didn't work. Nothing was working the way it should be doing and Flick knew it the most.

"She tried to throw herself down a flight of stairs. How the fuck is anything going to be okay! Lia had to sedate her to stop her from hurting herself!" Ace growled.

"We will get her through this. Just like last time." Sabo spoke back trying to keep his voice levelled. He was reading anything and everything he could get his hands on regarding post-traumatic stress disorder and he was going to learn everything he could.

"But this time, we won't make the same mistakes twice. This time we won't stop talking about what happened. This time, we will heal her fully, we will heal each other fully. It has only been a year, we all knew how much she depended on Thatch, how much she trusted him. We should have seen this coming. But we will not make that same mistake twice." He spoke looking at each other commanders that were in the room. He made it clear, Thatch would be going nowhere until she was safe, until she moved passed her nightmares.

"Marco." All heads snapped to Whitebeard who was sitting at his desk. Sabo felt a little taken back from the speech he had just given, he had forgotten that he was there.

"Fly south. Retrieve your brother." Whitebeard ordered and instantly Marco was to his feet.

"I can have him back my nightfall tomorrow." Marco moved to the side of her bed and placed his hands over her bruised cheek gently. "I'll bring him back, sweetheart."

"Hurry." Ace pleaded to his guardian.

* * *

Marco was gone within the hour.

Ace stayed by his sister's bed, not letting her out of his site, or him out of hers. The last thing he wanted was for her to wake up and her brothers not be there. They didn't even want to think of the reaction that would cause her. They didn't even want to think of the reaction she was going to have in the first place, they had no idea what her state of mind was going to be like this time round.

"She'll be okay, right?" Luffy whispered to his brothers.

"She will." Sabo answered the question that none of them were truly sure about. "Thatch will be back by nightfall tomorrow. And then we can heal her, together." Sabo looked at his little brother who was still sitting on Izo's lap, while their guardian gentle ran his manicured nails through his hair. They were all on edge at the moment.

Sabo made himself comfortable beside his sister and pulled out the next book on his pile. He was going to learn everything.

First step, talking about it. And he knew that was going to be a hard step for each of them. Especially for himself and Ace, for them, the last thing they wanted to do was bring back those memories. But if they were going to make Luffy and Flick do it, than they would be right with them.

Marco did not stop. He could feel his body begin to protest against the speed he was pushing himself at. But he knew that he would not stop until he made it. He had to find his brother and make it back before anything else happened.

Off in the distance he could see, just on the horizon, he could see the burning of trees. That was their island. That was Thatch's destination. Pushing forwards he could feel the sun beginning to rise above the horizon, signalling his half way mark. He had till sun down to bring him back.

Landing in a hard crouch onto the sandy shore he looked up and saw his brothers all surrounding a fire pit in the middle of what used to be a battle.

"Marco, what brings you here?" he ignored the lower divisions question and eyed the surroundings for his brother.

"Where's Thatch?" he asked and watched them go rigid before pointing off into the distance of the forest. "Thank you." He added trying to reign in the aura he was giving off. He didn't need to scare absolutely everyone that he came in contact with.

"Thatch." He called as he entered the forest. He was not in the mood for a search party, nor did they have time to waste. "Thatch god dammit." He yelled louder and then heard rustling in the bushes beside him.

"Marco? Is that you?"

Relief flooded his body when his large, noisy brother entered the small clearing.

Thatch stumbled at the sound of his brother's voice, a brother that was not supposed to be hear. Dropping the rabbits he had caught he bounded through the bushes to find him. The moment he saw his brother he knew something was wrong, something was terribly wrong.

"Flick?" his breath gasped when realisation hit.

"There's no time to explain. Grab one bag and let's go." He listened to his brother's order and quickly ran to his small tent and grabbed a bag.

"Thatch what's going on?" He looked to Tando, his second in command, in his division. He wasn't happy about leaving his division alone, even though they had already completed their missions, he still didn't feel right. But he knew that Flick needed him more. Pops would never have sent Marco, if it wasn't completely necessary.

"It's Flick." That was all he needed to say before Tando pushed open the small tent and let Thatch rush out and towards the shore.

"Go, we'll be fine." Tando gave the commander the small permission that he didn't need, but it was appreciated.

"The chest?" Thatch stumbled thinking about the small treasure he had found. A treasure that could mark the rest of his crew as targets if anyone else was to discover what he had.

"I'll protect it. Now go, don't worry about us." Thatch nodded to the young boy who was barely to be called a man and flew out of his tent.

"Tando's in charge. I'll see you back at Moby." Thatch ordered one last command before grabbing hold of Marco's hand and felt his body being thrown into the air and land on the great fire Phoenix back.

"Tell me what's going on." Thatch pleaded as soon as they were in the air. But he was not prepared for what was happening back at home.

* * *

"Hey Princess."

She closed her eyes and sighed. When she woke up the next day she was plagued with the awful story of what she had done the previous day. She couldn't even remember doing it, she couldn't remember trying to hurt herself or being held down by her brothers.

She was right the first time. She was going crazy.

Her PTSD was now graduating to a case of pure insanity.

"Turtle?"

She pushed her face into her hands and tried to block out the sounds of his voice. She was hearing things, just like all the other countless times she could hear him calling for her, screaming for her to help him. This was just like those times.

"Octavia."

A stern voice sounded and her head lifted instantly. Nervously she glanced over her shoulder, preparing herself for whatever she was going to see, or worse, not see.

"Hey there Princess, I'm home." Her eyes winded and her hand cupped over her mouth as she stared at her guardian. He was panting hard and she could see his clothes were lightly torn and there were dirt and grass stains over him.

"Thatch?" she whispered and forced herself onto her hands and knees. He met her as she crawled to the end of the bed and in a second his arms were around her.

"I'm so sorry Octavia." He whispered into her hair as she let her fears release. Sobs broke through her lips as she gripped onto him tighter. She didn't want to ever let him go.

"I'm sorry." She whispered over and over to him. He hushed her rantings and sat down with her still in his arms back onto the bed. He was exhausted, mentally and physically exhausted. The seven hours of flying back to the ship had him going crazy. She tried to hurt herself. That's all he could process from his brother's explanation.

"I'm here now." Thatch whispered to the both of them as he laid down on the bed.

* * *

Marco sat down in the hallway outside of Pops room with his elbows hanging over his knees. He was spent. It had been a very long time since he had pushed himself to fly that fast, and for that long.

"Here," glancing up he saw Ace holding out his own water flask to him.

"Thanks," Marco grabbed at it eagerly and skulled down the entire contents. Wiping the escaped trails of water off his chin he leant his head back against the wall and sighed. He was glad to be home, glad that he made it back earlier than originally predicted. He could hear the cries and reliefs of both Flick and Thatch in the room. Everyone would be alright now. They would seek professional help for the four of them this time round. They would each learn how to deal with this the right way, and not a patch job like they had done.

"Thank you for bringing him home." Ace mimicked his own position while keeping his eyes and ears on the room in front of them. They both sat in silence and listened to the two talking and reassuring each other. Ace didn't need to say anything more to Marco, and Marco didn't need to say anything more to him. They both knew exactly what the other was thinking. Both of their younger siblings were at peace right now, and they would only get better as the days flew by. Right now they had both completed their duties as the older siblings.

"I'm going to grow grey young aren't I?" Ace smirked and looked up at his guardian.

"With those three as your siblings, yes." Marco ruffled his hair and laughed.

* * *

_**"Fear can only grow in darkness. Once you face your fear with light, you win."**_

* * *

_**PrayforParis**_

_**Notes:**_

**I will admit that this chapter was a complete struggle for me to write this week. Especially these last few days. With what is happening all over our world at the moment, writing about fear, and darkness. Is hard.  
**

**I wrapped the 3 week separation from Flick and Thatch up in one chapter as it was getting harder and I didn't want to drag it out more than it needed too. I hope it still gave enough insite. **

Thanks to : AnimeFan, EchoRunner, N Harmonic, Guest, Molten Thunder, Yayoi Tsukikage, Nala, LilNightmare, REaganBrie, ForeverAwesomeASD

**Next Chapter: Thatch's Fruit + Makino and Shanks. :D HAPPY CHAPTER! **


	28. Chapter 28 - The Dangers of Information

_**"Never was anything great achieved without danger."**_

* * *

"Do we really have to do this?" Luffy sighed looking up at Izo, trying to put on his best puppy dog look, as his sister had labelled it.

"Yes, Luffy. This is important for all of you." Izo sighed for the thousandth time today. Thatch had been home for three days now and everything seemed to fall back into normalcy. But they all knew that it would revert back the second one of them was sent on a mission. It was about time the four of them, well the eight of them, spoke to someone with at least a moderate knowledge on how to deal with these kinds of things. Lia had been studying up on the different ways to talk through trauma patients, but there was only so much she could do until they found someone who was a professional.

Sighing, he looked back at Lia who was the one initiating this therapy session. They were on their way to one of Whitebeard's islands where there were people who apparently knew what to say to kids like them. But for now, they were just talking and hoping for the best.

For the last few days they would spend a few hours in the morning each speaking with Lia individually and then a little bit altogether. Lia had tried to explain what had happened to Octavia in the last few weeks and why it happened.

Luffy was confused.

He didn't really understand why their nightmares were still hurting them. It wasn't like being punched or kicked in the gut, but it still felt that way even though no one was hurting him. He didn't understand how that happened. He didn't want to feel scared like he used to be; He didn't want his sister to be that scared again. But he didn't know how talking was going to help them.

He kept asking the questions of how, how did their nightmares still cause pain as though it was happening right now, but no one could explain it to him. They tried, but he didn't understand.

Ace did not like their therapy sessions. He did not like talking about what had happened, or what had happened in the last few days. He did not like recounting the series of torturing and interrogations that he and his brother received.

Ace did not like it one bit. But he knew that he had to continue with the sessions, if not for himself but for his siblings. He would commit to a thousand therapy sessions if it meant that his siblings were safe from their own nightmares.

Sabo was the only one who understood the severity of their condition and why it was so important to speak about what had happened to them. He had read enough of Lia's psych books to know that mental trauma was almost the worst kind of trauma there was. No one could more forwards, if they were stuck in the past.

He rubbed at his shoulders where he was aching and looked at his brothers. Today's session was just with the three of them. They were talking through the days before they had been taken off Dawn Island. When Luffy was asked a question of what he feared, the room went silent.

"Luffy?" Lia asked gently and the boy sat on his chair with his legs and arms crossed and his hat gentle lowered over his eyes.

"He's afraid of lightning and thunderstorms." Ace interjected causing everyone to look at him.

"Am not!" Luffy shouted.

"You are too and don't deny it." Ace shouted back. "We all are Lu." Ace admitted causing the room to return to its awkward silence.

"Ace is scared of the storms too?" Luffy asked almost pleadingly.

"Yes, we're all afraid sometimes Luffy." Sabo interjected seeing his brother growing uncomfortable under everyone's gaze.

"I don't want to talk about it." Luffy returned to his stubborn pose.

"If you want to leave to be a pirate when you're sixteen. You will sit down and answer every one of Lia's questions. Got it." Ace spoke but did not snap like everyone had thought he would have.

"Do I have to?" Luffy pleaded to his older brother whilst pulling out his secret weapon.

"Yes, or you'll be stuck working as a pirate under me and Sabo for the rest of your life." Ace smirked knowing exactly how to twist Luffy into speaking about his fears.

"Alright fine." Luffy slumped back into his seat and started talking about his nightmares and the shadows that he was afraid of at night. The shadows that stole his precious people away from him.

Ace lifted his head and looked at Sabo. They both shared the same expression. They would both endure this therapy for Luffy's sake.

* * *

Octavia was sitting up on the mast in her favourite spot staring out into the open waters. She had just finished her own session with Lia and she felt drained. Her hands would shake for an hour or so after each time she recounted the true horrors she had been subjected to. She would have to think back and try to explain what she was feeling during those times in the darkness of her mind.

But in the end, she already knew what truly scared her the most. What scared her deep down into her very core. Being alone.

Once her brothers had arrived in those cages, it didn't feel as lonely as it did without them there. When they arrived there was a certain feeling of not being alone, even when she hadn't even seen them or made any notion towards them, she felt like she was bonded with them in a weird way.

Whether it was because she shared a common attribute of being the helpless victims, or if it was their ages, she wasn't completely sure. But she felt, light almost, when they arrived.

"Oi Princess," she peeked down onto the deck and saw her favourite man waving up at her. Grinning she let her shield float down to Thatch and lifted him slowly up towards her and to their shared spot.

"What'cha you reading?" Thatch gripped onto the wooden beam as he settled in beside her. She looked down at the book in her hands and sighed. It was one of the countless self-help and positive thinking books Lia had given to her. Any time she felt anxious or different, she was to read a passage over and over until the words sunk in.

She handed it over to her guardian who flicked through the pages and scanned over the paragraphs that donned on each page.

"It will get easier Octavia." He sighed and wrapped his large arm around her as she leant into his warm side. "I promise."

"I know." She nodded. And she knew it was the truth, she needed time, and they all needed time to process what had happened to them. More time for her, seeing the length of time she had been captured compared to her brothers.

"Hey I've got a little surprise for you and the boys. Want to see?" Thatch grinned his famous grin at her which made her suspicious.

"It's not your rock collection again is it?" she asked apprehensively. The last time he showed her a surprise it was not as glorious as what she had been hyped up into believing.

"Hey, don't dig on the rocks. Get it. Dig and Rocks." Thatch burst out laughing and she felt herself push away from the man and sigh.

"Oh come on Princess that one was funny!" Thatch tried to pull her back but she shuffled further along the wooden beam.

"That was lame." She retorted.

"Are you calling me lame? Little turtle?"

"Yes. You're lame." She grinned before flickering off her spot and down onto the deck below alone. She glanced back up at her guardian and giggled. His head flipped from sides to sides trying to find her.

"Down here Rock Man." She laughed and then made a show of walking back towards the galley.

"Princess, don't leave me up here!" he called for her and she picked up her pace into a run.

"Princess!"

"Marco she left me again!"

She listened to his pleas as she laughed her way into the galley and saw her brothers at their table.

"What?" Sabo asked as she stifled her giggles.

"Nothing." She reached for a muffin in the middle of the table. Just as her hand picked up the baked goodness she heard a loud shriek and then laughter from the other crew members.

"What was that?" Luffy asked trying to peer out of the galley windows.

"A rock maybe?" she answered and burst out into a fit of giggles whilst her brothers stared at as though she had gone completed nuts.

* * *

"Thatch, I don't want to see any more rocks." Luffy pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. He admitted that he like rocks, and he liked seeing their different colours and shapes and hearing the stories of the different islands that the rocks came from. But he heard them all already.

"Why does everyone think I'm showing more rocks!" Thatch sighed and looked at his brothers for help but they just shrugged.

"You just came back from a mission." Izo assisted, "Which was on an island. With rocks."

"See I told you it was another rock story!" Luffy jumped onto his feet on his chair and pointed accusingly at the man.

They were all gathered in the galley to celebrate the return of Thatch's division from their long missions away. Octavia sat on her father's lap with her hands fiddling with the loose strands of string that hung off the jacket. She found nowadays that if her hands were busy doing something that her mind stayed in the present. Lia had referred to this as something scientific but she couldn't remember the name of it, all she knew now was there was a reason she sought out to touch things when she was merely sitting still.

Thatch had commanded everyone's attention with the pretence of showing off something special he had found on the island. But, she had to grin at the accusations that it was merely another rock to add to his ever growing collection.

"You're going to need a bigger boat if he collects any more rocks, Papa." She grinned up at her father who laughed and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Too right my dear."

"Alright settle down, show us your surprise my son." Whitebeard called for a ceasefire against his commander with a smile on his face. He was amused by the situation just as everyone else on board was enjoying Thatch's suffering.

"First it comes with a story." Thatch stood on top of one of the tables and commanded the attention of everyone, although he was rewarded with a round of boos, and shouting to just show them. But with Thatch being Thatch just shook it off and proceeded into his lengthy tale.

"…we were surrounded, my men were down on their knees praying for a miracle to come and save them…"

"That is not how it went." One man shouted and threw a balled up piece of paper at Thatch who swiftly dodged the incoming projectile.

"They were calling out for their leader to come and rescue their pitiful lives…."

"What the hell man!"

Thatch dodge a bottle this time.

"You're making us sound weak as fuck!"

"Language."

"Alright, alright." Thatch laughed after dodging the barrage of incoming attacks from his division.

"This is what I wanted to show you." Thatch pulled out a small box from his coat and held it in the air for everyone to see like it was a proud trophy.

"Papa," Octavia whispered clutching onto her father's arm. A sudden spike of dread washed through her as her eyes laid on the small wooden box. Her heart thumped in her chest loudly as her guardian slowly opened the lid and revealed what she was already fearing.

A devil fruit.

A large round purple fruit starred at them all.

She didn't hear the loud shoutings or congratulations shared with her guardian, all she heard was a blank void in her mind and her inner mind screaming at her to run away from that fruit. That it was nothing but danger towards her and those she cared about. It begged her to take it and destroy it at the first chance.

She swore she could see it pulsing in her guardian's hand. Like it was taunting her to come closer to it.

"Octavia," she finally snapped into the present and felt her father twist her away from the fruit to face him. "Are you alright?" he brushed his long fingers through her hair and she leant into his chest and let his scent wash over her.

"Don't let him eat it." She whispered the fear that plagued her mind.

"What is it my dear?" he lifted her chin to meet his eyes and she struggled to keep her eyes from watering.

"It's bad Papa, don't let him eat it." She shivered and he pulled her closer into his chest.

But her father did not answer her, he didn't agree with her that Thatch shouldn't eat the fruit.

"Shall we go speak to Lia?" Her father questioned and she shook her head. She didn't need to talk about what she was feeling to try and understand it, she knew very clearly what she was feeling in this moment.

She was afraid.

That fruit gave her the largest warning than she had felt in a very long time.

She would not let her guardian eat it.

She wanted it gone.

The night drew on with the celebrations and the dreaded fruit was placed back into its box and into Thatch's coat where it was supposedly safe.

But she knew better. She knew it was dangerous.

* * *

Makino was nervous. She kept her head down as the group of marines entered her pub and sat down at the table in the very middle of the room commanding everyone's attention.

She plastered on her perfect smile and welcomed the men as they sat down at her tables. She took their orders as they all but shouted at her and quickly hurried off towards the kitchen. It had been months since she had last made contact with either that of her favourite captain or favourite marine and she was getting anxious.

She and the bandits were the only ones of the island that knew of the boy's survival from that dreadful day, and she feared at every moment that a new marine vessel made port on their side of the island. Everyone knew that this was the home town of Garp, and in turn there was very rarely a marine ship that wasn't his that docked at their harbour.

But over the last few months there had been more and more knew faces of marines entering their village and throwing their weight around. Her pub was the closest one to the docks and that made her place the most visited place by the marines. Her eyes resisted a glance to the side and down to the cellar below the floorboards.

Everything she knew was hidden down there. If they were to find it, find the evidence she was slowly collecting than she would be instantly dragged off to the nearest interrogation room or shot dead right where she stood.

But she couldn't stop.

She had to know.

She had to understand what the world had against her boys. There were very few people who stood in her boy's corner; but she was one of them. She would always be behind them no matter what happened in their lives. She would protect them to whatever extent she could muster up. And she would never stop, no matter what anyone told her.

Those three boys, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were hers. No one else's.

No one was allowed to touch them. No one was allowed to take away their dreams ever again. And she would make sure of that.

She glanced around at her almost empty bar and sighed. The marines, as usual, were chasing away her customers. She glanced to the back of the bar and saw her newly regular customer sitting at the very back, hidden amongst the darkness of the corner. If it was anyone else she would have felt worried, but the old man was a gentle old man. But she knew to never judge a man by his looks or his words, the light silver scars that littered his arms and hands were enough to tell her that he was a very strong man in his prime.

Even now as he looked hunched over his bowl of soup, she could see that it was a show. The muscles that still lines his back and arms were enough to tell her he was hiding out in plain sight. Or the way he pushed up at his falling glasses constantly, she wondered if this was out or necessity or was it an act to confuse those who looked upon him.

"A refill sir?" she approached the man and he lifted his eyes to meet her. Dark eyes smiled up at her through rimmed glasses and he gestured towards his empty mug.

"Thank you," he placed a few coins on the table and she took half of the coins that were more than enough to cover the cost of the single drink.

"Let an old man thank a lovely lady for her pleasant service." The grey haired man chuckled and pushed the rest of the coins towards the edge of the table.

"Fine, but don't think you can resist this round of desert." She giggled and took the few coins left on the table. She was no charity case and if any other man dare tried to leave an extra tip on her table she became suspicious almost instantly. It wouldn't have been the first time someone tried to tip her into becoming their woman for the night.

"Barmaid!" her head snapped up and a smile was plastered on her face as she carried a tray of drinks towards the marines and refilled their glasses.

"How about some free deserts for me and my men." The man sneered at her and she held back the shutter that ran through her body.

"There are no free meals sir. You will have to pay for desert just like everybody else." She quickly responded and filled up their drinks.

"Thanks doll face but I don't pay for my women." She yelped as she felt a hand smack against her rear and quickly hurried back to the safety of her bar.

"You keep those hands to yourself, boy." Her eyes lifted off into the dark corner of the bar.

"Did you say something old man?" The young marine pushed back off his chair and stalked towards the old man. She quickly threw down the empty mugs and rushed back into the bar.

"Makino, you stay right where you are my dear." The old man spoke and she obeyed. Her body freezing, she couldn't remember ever telling the man her name before.

"Now, boys, I think you owe Makino-san here an apology." The old man looked up from his table at the four marines who now crowded around his own.

"Do you have any idea who the fuck you are talking to old man!" The marine pulled out his pistol from his belt and pointed it directly at his head.

"No stop, please." She pleaded and rushed forwards. But with a small look from her customer she haltered her haste and stared at the scene before her.

"Put down the gun boy, before you hurt yourself." The old man pushed back from his own chair and stood up against the gunmen. Everyone in the room seemed to gulp as the old man suddenly straitened up and towered over the mere men before him. The small shaking of the marines hand around the gun was noticeable by everyone in the room.

"Stop." The marine stuttered and released the safety on his weapon.

"You will now apologise to Makino-san here, and you will pay twice the bill of your meals and you will bid her a good evening and leave. You will not return to this place or a certain Marine Vice Admiral will hear of the mistreatment to the very woman he sees as his very own daughter." The old man motioned towards her and suddenly all eyes were on her. "Now what will it be?"

The rush of the four marines as they scrambled towards their thrown over table and quickly placed a wad of bills on the now righted surface and ran from the pub with their tails between their legs.

"The nerve of those boys, not even a goodbye." The old man walked forwards and started to pick up the broken pieces of plates from the ground.

Snapping back to reality she rushed to aid the old man.

"Please let me do it." She pulled the dish cloth from her apron and gentle scooped up the broken pieces. She was no stranger to broken things in her bar.

"It is no trouble my dear." The old man smiled through his small framed glasses. Together they gathered all the broken pieces and put her bar back to its normal placings. Sighing she placed the broken pieces of the plates in the sink and ran the water over the ruined food. Those plates were going to cost her a pretty penny.

"Are you alright my dear?" the old man sat down in the stool in front of her bar and she felt herself pull together and her smile reformed, but this time it was not completely forced.

"Yes, thank you." She pulled her own stool out from under the bar and sat down opposite the man who had defended her.

"How did you know my name?" she questioned quickly remembering the small moment of shock.

"My dear you are famous around this village. The woman brave enough to assist those three orphaned boys?" The old man laughed and stroked his grey beard. She returned his laugh and shook her head. She knew the village she lived in and she knew the people that lived in it, there wasn't the slightest chance that people called her brave, stupid yes, but never brave.

"They were quite the handful." She smiled looking down at her hands as fond memories came flashing back to her.

"I am sorry to hear of their passing. A child should never leave before a parent." The old man placed his hand on top of hers and she found herself squeezing his in response. This is why she liked this strange old man, he seemed to understand her. He was a stranger to this village, but with only being here a short few weeks he managed to grasp onto the parts of the village that were true.

Most people in the village barely offered her sympathy or acknowledgement to the loss of her boys. No one truly saw her as what she felt she was towards those boys. She felt like their mother, or at least a member of their family. To her, those boys were her boys. They were a part of her very soul and when they were declared dead, she felt her entire soul being torn into fragments.

No one understood the pain she was going through, and for those who saw it, couldn't understand why she of all people was acting the way she was. Some even stated to her face that she needed to grow up, that they weren't her children to mourn over.

But here in that small sentence the old man could see through her. He knew that those three boys were her everything.

"Thank you." She paused and waited for a response to her unspoken question. She wanted to know his name, she was a little frustrated with calling him old man, in her mind.

"Solomon." He gave her hand a small squeeze and she returned it, almost like they were shaking hands for the first time.

"Thank you again Solomon-san." She smiled at the old man.

* * *

It had been a week since Solomon had left the island, with promises to stay in touch and return at his earliest chance. Every day that he was on the island he would visit her at her pub and spend most of his meals there with her. She listened to his tales of his young life out at sea and the people he had met along the way.

She caught him writing on several occasions in a small black diary that he had called it his memories. He played it off as his old age getting the better of his mind, and he wanted to ensure that nothing of his life would disappear. But she knew it was much more than that, she stared at him as he wrote in the leather bound book and it was a look of pure concentration. There was definitely more to the man than he let on, but somehow she trusted him.

He never asked her anything that would cause her to be suspicious of his intentions at the island, and he gave away enough about himself to show that he was an open book and had nothing to hide. But she knew he was smart, he was extremely smart. But so was she.

And on some level, she thought that he knew that she knew that there was something that Solomon was hiding. But neither of them said a thing, neither of them wanted to ruin the small friendship they had managed to create in such a small time.

The day that Solomon had left she found a note addressed to her on the small wooden board above her bar. As soon as she had seen the neatly scribed writing of her name she knew who it was from, she had seen his writing every day.

A small burst of anger flared up inside when she tipped the envelope open and a wad of money fell out onto the table.

_Let an old man treat a beautiful woman to something nice. _

Was all that the note said.

With a small laugh she hide the money in a box and the under her bar. She would do just the thing and buy something pretty to wear for when he friend returned. And then she would make him a feast worthy of the generosity he had shown to her.

It had been a week before her life returned to its anxious state. The marines had slowly started to return to her pub when they realised that Solomon had left the island. She was known now to most of the local men that she was friends with the man as tall as the sky. Many of the local men continued to remind the marines that they would be hunted down by this old man if they dared lay a hand on her.

She laughed at the continuous exaggerations of what had really happened all those nights ago with Solomon and the four cowardly marines. Somehow the old man and morphed into somewhat like a god who was actually her father's spirit possessing the strongest man alive. How she wished she could tell Luffy this story of Solomon, he would love it. She could just imagine the look of pure delight at the mention of the great man.

Sighing she blew out the last candle that littered around the tables of her bar and locked the front door for the night. She was exhausted. She had been working longer hours than normal with the increase of ships that seemed to dock on their side of the island.

But she knew she still had work to do tonight. Glancing around the room one last time she made sure that there wasn't anyone around before heading down beneath her pub and into the cellar. Picking up the candle that she always placed on the shelf below the steps she lit it and closed the cellar door. No one could find out what she was doing down here.

Heading past the rows of barrels filled with sake and rum she moved to the very back of her cellar. Pulling down on the small wooden board that blended in with the wall she revealed a board filled with newspaper clippings and photos.

Her eyes immediately glanced down to the small photos that kept her going. Three faces stared up at her and her heart thumped an extra beat. Her boys. Her smiling, happy boys.

Her eyes drifted over to the newest photo added to her collection. Four faces stared at her with bright eyes. Four faces. Three of her boys and now a young girl added another piece to her heart.

Octavia, Shanks' niece was alive. And now she was sister to her boys. She was now precious to her as much as those boys of hers. She knew that it was all connected in the end, and she wondered what great power brought her boys and Octavia together. But no matter what power or grand design might be set out for them, she was glad they each found each other.

Unravelling the current newspaper she sat down on the crate in front of her wall of evidence and started to read over the cryptic messages that the World Government were trying to send. She read every article that was written by them or about them. She had to know everything.

But she knew that what was printed in the papers were never one hundred percent fact, in truth, they were probably barely twenty percent. But she needed to know what the government were wanting the world to think. If she knew what they wanted everyone to think, than she knew that it wasn't what really happened and slowly she could piece together what might be the truth.

Living in the west blue, was not like living in the grand line or so she imagined. She wouldn't get random pirates or bandits walking through her pub and spilling stories and rumours that they had heard on the seas. No, the west blue was nothing like the information gold mine of what the grand line would be like. But she was making do.

Especially with the latest visit of Solomon. He had been to the grand line. He had been past the grand line in his days and was very eager to tell her of stories of the battles between marines and pirates. She had yet to figure out if the man was once a pirate or marine, but she didn't really mind either way. He was honourable, that much she could tell. And honourable men appeared on both sides of the line.

Pulling out a blank piece of paper she started to write down everything that Solomon had told her about the marines, and certain admirals and the events that had occurred in the past.

Just as she pinned her last note on the board she heard a noise behind her. Her hand quickly moved to her thigh beneath her skirt and pulled out the small dagger she had hidden there since the raid on her pub all those months ago. She hastily pushed the wooden board in front of her work and lifted the candle to light her way.

"Hello, anyone there?" she called out into the darkness of the cellar. She felt the movement before she saw it. A shadow danced behind her and she turned sharply.

"Who's there!" she shouted flickering her candle in every direction trying to find the person. Her hands gripped tighter on the dagger preparing to defend herself when the time came. A small scream escaped her lips as a body ran past behind her and her light was distinguished.

Panic flooded through her and she quickly pushed her back up against the nearest wall and gripped her dagger with both her hands now. She had to block off one direction of attack. She was about to call out again when a grip tore the dagger from her hands and she felt a hand grip around her neck. Not tight enough to block off her air but enough of a warning not to scream.

"What exactly did you plan to do with such a weapon," the voice dripped with familiarity and she felt her eyes widen.

"Captain?" she whispered and the pressure was released from her neck and she heard his laugh. A light appeared in the darkness and there was her favourite captain standing right in front of her with his goofy smile on his face.

"Hello Makino. I see our little training session's have-" Shanks beamed at her and she felt her own smile start to appear, but then it stopped.

"Makino?"

"You bastard. You scared the shit out of me!" she shouted and lunged at the man in front of her. She failed at her attempts of hitting the man as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a hug.

"Missed you too."

She pulled back and looked at the lovable captain in front of her. She tried hard to keep her scowl on her face but she just couldn't resist. And he knew it too.

"Want to show me what you were hiding back there?" Shanks gestured to the back corner that he had first seen her.

"I suppose so." She sighed and picked up the light and led him towards her hidden spot. She knew that the next time Shanks showed up on the island that she would show him her collation, but she never knew it was going to be so soon.

"This is what I've been working on." She pulled the wooden board from its place and revealed her workings.

"Holy crap. Makino." Shanks stepped closer to the board and let his eyes run over every piece of information she had gathered and had tried to link them together.

"I've gathered as much information as I could without looking suspicious. I have friends in the grand line who have been sending me information too." She stepped forwards to stand beside him and pointed at the few notes she had made.

"Makino." Shanks whispered her name as his eyes ran over note after note after note. They stopped on the small set of images in the corner. The bright smile of his niece looked back at him, he remembered that photo. He had given it to Makino the last time he was here, but he had given it to her for the boys. But to see his niece's name written right next to the boys in big letters made his heart skip a beat. Everywhere he looked over the board he could see her name, the connections to her scribbled through any newspaper article or fact she had found.

"Makino," he caught her attention and pointed to the photo of the four most precious people in his life. He looked up at her and saw her eyes brighten as she looked at Octavia, it was the same way she looked at Luffy and the others.

"She's family." Makino whispered and that was all it took for his resolve to break.

Makino smiled down at her favourite photo. She couldn't wait to meet the young girl that seemed to just fit into their dysfunctional family. She glanced back at the captain to see if he was alright when suddenly she was spun and pressed up against the wall.

She was about to question him when his lips crash down on hers. Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt his hand snake its way up to her neck and scoop at her hair. She felt like she was on fire. Her hands found their way into his long hair and gripped him closer to her.

His hand left her hair and she found her body being lifted and forced up against the wall. Her legs instantly wrapped around his waist as he pressed against her firmly.

"Captain," she whispered as his lips attacked her neck. She heard him groan against her skin and caused her to shutter.

"You'll be the death of me woman." He looked up at her and she felt her insides melt.

"Is there any better way?" she teased and a yelp escaped her lips as she was suddenly thrown over his shoulder.

"Captain!" she squealed in protest.

* * *

The next morning she woke up to loud bustling sounds below in her pub. Pulling herself from her bed she quickly dressed and rushed down to the bar. As she entered the open area a smile reached her lips at the sight.

"Good morning Makino!"

Loud cheers erupted and her smile grew wider. The whole crew was there. She blinked back the happy tears before going to make her rounds of hello's and dishing out the breakfast plates to everyone.

It was well into the morning when she realised that the captain had yet to make his appearance.

"Down stairs." Benn pointed to the cellar door and she quickly hurried down the hatch.

"Captain?" she called picking up her candle and lighting her way in the darkened cell. She could see a light at the end of the cellar letting her know exactly where the man was.

"You've discovered a lot of dangerous information Makino." She stopped at the final shelf and placed her candle on the wooden beam before stepping in next to the red headed captain.

"I know." She didn't try to deny what she had found, or the danger that she would be in if she was ever caught. She knew the risks, but to her they were worth it.

"Even some thing's I didn't know." He traced a few notes of certain Admirals during their time.

"Those bits are knew information. I'm not sure how correct they are, but I believe the source to be real." She smiled recalling the countless tails of Solomon. She did feel a tad guilty about using those stories and little bits of information he revealed to her, for her own personal use, but she would do anything.

"Where did you get this?" Shanks pointed to the small note that Solomon had left behind for her with the money.

"His name was Solomon, he was an old man who stayed here on the island for a few weeks." She started to explain but stopped as his hand picked up the piece of paper and examined it. A smile slowly spread on the captain's face and she turned to stare at him.

"What is it?" she questioned, starting to feel nervous.

"That old fool." Shanks laughed and turned to her.

"You know him?" she gasped.

"Makino, you just met Rayleigh."

* * *

**"_She is mortal danger to all men. She is beautiful without knowing it, and possesses charms that she's not even aware of."_**

* * *

**Eeepp So that was it.  
**

**Makino is a little stronger than what we know her to be. She was forced to grow stronger since the boys were taken. **

**She super cool :D**

**Anyone guess that was Rayleigh during the chapter? :D**

**The fruit is here... **

**oh o **

**Thanks to: Addbaby, Guest, Goldspark, GoldenMelon, Yayoi Tsukikage, LilNightmare, N harmonic, AnimeFan. :d Thanks lovelies :**


	29. Chapter 29 - Shadow Warnings

**Hi there Lovelies! SURPRISE DAY EARLY! Eeeep - Just could not wait to post this chapter.  
**

* * *

_**"You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you do not trust enough."**_

* * *

Ace was wide awake as the ship twisted and turned on its side. The lightning outside crashed loudly above and lit up the entire room with every bang. Luffy was curled beneath his blanket and clutching at his hip. As soon as the first crash appeared above, his little brother crawled into his bed, and he hadn't the heart to move him. Even after twelve months of living in the grand line and facing off its murderous storms, Luffy still couldn't handle them all that well. But the counselling sessions were helping. He hated to admit it, but the sessions were helping all of them, him included.

He found that he was calmer, and for that he felt stronger. His powers obeyed him instead of reacting to his every reaction. He felt lighter, happier even. But he would never tell the others that.

"No stop." His smile vanished as quickly as it had come and looked down at his brother. He ran his fingers through his long hair and felt his brother sigh and bury his face into his chest.

It hadn't always been like this, Luffy used to love thunderstorms. Back in their jungle home, they used to all stay awake and watch as the lighting blanketed across the night sky causing bolts to appear and crash to the ground. They always dreamed of the time when they would be sailing in the middle of the ocean and be able to see the storm from all around them. They dreamt of that kind of freedom.

But, it's different now. They were taken. That night was filled with lightning and thunder as well. And ever since they had been saved Luffy couldn't stand storms. Even now, he didn't feel that same fondness for the storms as he once did. Now they were just a far distant happy memory that wouldn't reappear for who knows how long.

His hand ran through his brothers growing hair and noted that they should probably look into getting it cut soon as it was constantly falling into his eyes and putting pauses in his training. But on one hand he liked seeing his brother growing so much, his hair, his weight, his smile; it seemed too long ago that his brothers ribs poked through his skin or his hair would just break at the ends in the smallest of fights. But he was healthy now, they were all healthy now and he was never going to let any of them get back to that phase ever again.

Ace wasn't one for showing this type of affection, especially if there were other Pirates around, but at night when it was just them he would show it to his needing brother. He knew what his siblings meant to him, and he knew that others would see it too.

They were his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.

"No."

Luffy bolted upright with his hands flinging around trying to fight off his own nightmares.

"It's alright Lu," he whispered pulling his brother into his chest and held him there as his hard punches died down. He knew he would have a few bruises there come the morning, but he didn't care.

"Ace?" Luffy mumbled gripping onto the blanket tightly. He could feel the warm tears falling onto his bare chest as he held his brother closer. He wouldn't let Luffy fight his demons on his own.

"I'm here. You're okay." Ace whispered and looked down to see a pair of dark eyes peaking up at him. He was too innocent for the life they had been thrown into.

"I'm not crying. I'm not a cry baby anymore." Luffy whimpered causing Ace to laugh.

"You'll always be a cry baby Lu, but that's okay." Ace ruffled his hair and smiled down at him. He was and idiot, all those years ago, yelling at his brother for being a cry baby, or being too weak. Now he knew different. His emotions, their emotions, was the most important thing. And all it took was eating a devil fruit that would react at every bit of emotion he was hiding to make him see the truth. And Marco.

"What was it about?" he asked seeing that Luffy was too alert to even begin to fall back asleep, he tried using Lia's advice and get Luffy to explain and open up about his dream. They were told that keeping something that scared them bottled up wasn't good for any of them. They needed to talk about what was wrong, it was the only way they were going to fully heal.

"Shadows stole us." Luffy whimpered and buried his face in his neck.

"Shadows can't steal people. I won't let anyone take you again." He spoke the words both for his little brother's piece of mind and for his own. He would speak the words a thousand times a day, just to make sure that his siblings knew that he wouldn't let them get hurt again.

"I won't let them steal you either." Luffy spoke with a little more determination and snot against his chest. Ace just laughed and cuddled him closer. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but every time Luffy spoke like this warmed his darkened heart. It reassured him every time that he wasn't the monster the world would think him to be, he was Ace. Just Ace.

Ace glanced over to his siblings and saw Flick and Sabo curled up on Sabo's bed much like he and Luffy were. He wondered what others must think when they saw, four almost teenagers, and still curled up next to each other.

He had wondered how long it will take until their guardians or others tried to deem it inappropriate, especially with Flick. He snorted at the thought, there was no chance in hell he was ever going to let anyone split them up, especially for something as trivial as Flick being a girl. Only they could decide their fates, and only them. Plus, the guardians had a hard enough time convincing Flick to wear skirts and dresses, if they were to even try pulling the girl card on her then they would be in for a world full of hate.

It took him a while before he let his eyes close and fall onto his brother's head and drift into his dreams.

* * *

A loud crash snapped him from his dreams and bolted him upright. His hands scrambled through his blankets and came up empty.

"Luffy," he shouted through his whisper trying to see through the darkness of their room. His eyes snapped to his side table and noticed his hat was no longer next to him. Panic surged through him as his eyes connected with the open door to their room.

Ripping off the covers he crept past a still sleeping, Sabo and Flick, and pushed himself through the door and closed it behind him. He blinked through the sudden harshness of the lights and looked down the empty corridor for his brother. The lights above him seemed to sway with every tilt of the ship in the storm.

Luffy knew better than to wonder the ship at night, especially when there was a storm.

"Luffy," he called out a little louder and made his way towards the stairs. If he knew his brother like he did, he was probably heading towards the kitchens to try and sneak a midnight snack. His hand brushed across the wooden walls as he followed the corridor around the corners. The storm outside was still in full swing, and the last thing he wanted was to trip over in the middle of the night.

"Luffy," he called out again, but even he could barely hear his own voice over the loud rain that crashed against the deck above them. Heading up the three flights of stairs he called out again and again trying not to let the small hint of anxiety rush through him.

"Luffy!" He called out as he stepped out onto the deck. His hand came up to shield his eyes from the rain that poured down above him. His eyes squinted out to the barely lit deck and tried to locate his brother. His heart started to pound in his chest just looking at the large waves that crashed against the side of the ship and toppled over the deck. His hands gripped the railing as he stepped out.

"Luff-"

"Ace."

He turned quickly and saw Luffy clutching onto the mast closest to him. His anxiety turned to pure rage as he dashed through the storm and to his brother.

"What the hell are you doing out here! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?" he shouted as he placed himself behind Luffy and secured him between his own body and the large mast. Luffy was not going to be swept off the ship.

"The shadows." Luffy whimpered and tried to look around the mast. "The shadows are here."

"It was just a nightmare Lu," Ace's voice softened at the panicked tone of his brother. He knew how bad nightmares could get, and how much they could seem like reality. And since they had started to open up and talk about what happened to them, the nightmares were slowly returning.

"No I saw them. I saw the shadows." Luffy turned and ducked under his arms and raced off across the deck and towards the back of the ship.

"Luffy come back!" He shouted chasing after his brother who picked up his speed.

"The shadows are here. They're hurting him." Ace could barely hear his brother's frantic voice as he stumbled across the uneven floor beneath him. The waves crashed over the deck and he felt his feet slip out from under him.

"Luffy." He screamed and watched as his brother dodged the wave that all but crashed into him. His hands gripped onto the crates and hauled himself through the draining water and towards his brother.

Luffy kept running.

The shadows were here.

He could feel it.

He could hear Ace calling after him but he couldn't stop. He knew that if he did than he would lose something, he didn't know what, but he knew. He didn't understand it, the feeling that he had, but it was crushing. His hand clutched to his shirt in front of his heart as it pounded through his ribs. It hurt and he didn't know why. He couldn't explain it but he knew he had to run. It was calling to him.

It was just like last time. Back at home. The shadows were stealing his brothers. They were stealing Sabo and Ace from him. He had to chase the shadows. He had to stop them.

They were calling to him to be on time.

Yelling at him to hurry.

Begging him to get there.

Just like the last time.

He felt it so long ago, and it was right then.

He raced to the back of the Moby Dick and turned the final corner when his whole body froze in fear.

The shadow was there.

Dark.

Black.

Shadows.

"Luffy," Ace's hands were on his shoulders but he couldn't look away from the shadows stalking in front of them. They were right there.

"Shadow." His hand was shaking as he pointed towards the nightmare that plagued his waking mind. Ace would know what to do. His big brother was smart and strong. He would help him no matter happened.

"Luffy, what are you-" Ace looked to where he was pointing as a bolt of lightning lit up the area he was staring at.

No.

Ace stepped in front of Luffy protectively as the scene was lit up before him. His eyes locked onto the glistening blade that reflected off the bolt of energy that flashed in the sky. Blood dripped from the long blade into the puddle already forming on the ground. He swore he could hear the sound of each drip of the dark red blood that added to the pool.

"Run," a voice choked out and he felt his heart stop. He knew that voice. But it was never meant to be that strained, it was never meant to be that pained. Crouching down defensively he made sure Luffy was far enough behind him before making his move.

Pushing forwards he ran towards the voice.

"Ace the shadow!" Luffy's panicked voice forced him to react quickly as the blade was sliced through the air where he was just standing.

"Whose there!" he screamed as the lightning dissolved into the previous darkness of the night. A burst of energy burst to his hands as his flames lit up the deck around him. He needed more light. He needed to see what was in front of him.

But when he saw it, he didn't want to believe it.

"Thatch," Luffy's voice behind him whimpered at the sight of their guardian lying face down in his own pool of blood. They could see his hand reaching towards them. Trying with every ounce of strength he had to get to them.

"Teach." A growl escaped Ace's lips as he took in the large man crouching over his guardian's body. His hand was on the hilt of the blade that was still sticking out of their guardians back. Ace felt Luffy's hands on his arm and could feel his entire frame vibrate in fear. Teach was the shadow that plagued his brother's nightmares. Teach was the monster who kept hurting his siblings.

"Luffy, run, find Marco." Ace gentle pushed him backwards, urging his brother to escape this battle. They stepped back a few steps, they were getting closer to the point they could hide behind the wall and find safety.

"I don't think so brat." His eyes locked onto Teach who was now holding a pistol towards them. "I half expected these bullets to be for that old man and Marco." Teach laughed and cocked the gun towards them.

"They can't hurt us!" Luffy screamed trying to get out from behind Ace, but he was held back.

"Oh, these are more than just mere bullets brat, these are kairoseki bullets. Pure sea stone." Teach laughed as Ace shuffled them back a little. He knew the dangers of a regular bullet but to have a pure sea stone. It would kill them.

"Run." Thatch grunted and tried to drag himself closer to them.

"Pathetic, this is Whitebeard's fourth commanding officer. Taken down by me." Teach laughed and slammed his foot down onto Thatch's back stopping him from moving. A grunt burst from Thatch's mouth as he glared up at the traitor above him.

"Thatch," Luffy whimpered looking out to his friend. He wanted to help him. But he didn't know how.

"Thatch!" Luffy screamed louder hoping anyone would hear him. "Help us!" His hands gripped onto his brother's arm and he was sure there would be blood dripping from his nails if he were completely human.

"Marco!"

"Izo!"

"Namur!"

"Anybody!"

"Marco, please." Teach mocked Luffy's pleas and stood up straight to face them. "Scream all you want brat," Teach roared with laughter as the thunder clapped above them. The storm blanketed their cries for help and the lightning mocked them mere seconds later. "No one is coming to save you."

* * *

_'Flick.'_

_'Flick.'_

_She opened her eyes and started to panic. The painfully familiar darkness surrounded her, not even a glimmer of light could be seen. Her hands moved to her eyes and a scream burst through her lips. Cold metal was strapped around her face, blocking her eyes. _

_'No, no, no, no.' her mind chanted over and over again as her fingers clawed at the metal brace around her eyes._

_'Flick, help me.'_

_'Luffy!' she screamed rushing forwards, trying to reach her brother. Her body collided hard with the metal bars that encased her. Her hands thread through the metal beams and reached as far as she could, but she was trapped. Back in her metal cage, with her sight stripped from her. _

_'Luffy!'_

_Water started to fill up all around her, cold icy water that felt like it was burning her skin. Her feet were slowly vanishing under the water as it seeped into her cage. She could hear the sounds of her brother's body as it thrashed in the water begging to be rescued._

_'Flick, save me.' Her little brother's voice screamed for her. 'He's coming Flick.' _

_No._

_No._

_'Luffy!' She bashed her shield against the cage walls around her again and again. She could hear the metal bolts start to protest against her force but they wouldn't move, it wouldn't budge. The water surrounded her knees as she tried to wade through the water and push against the cage. _

_'No. Don't. Stop.' _

_'Luffy!' _

_She screamed and screamed over and over at her little brother's pleas. 'Take me, take me instead.' She begged as the water rose to her chest and she found it hard to keep pushing. She could feel its effects as it sucked away her powers and strength. _

_'Flick,' her brother's final plea was distorted by the water that submerged her face. Her hands wrapped around the metal bars as she tried with everything she had to break through. Her lungs were begging her to breath, begging for the air she so desperately needed. _

_'Octavia.'_

_She threw her shield out trying to find Luffy. Trying to find anyone to latch onto to. If only she could find him. _

_'Wake up.'_

"You're okay. It was just a dream."

Her body flung forwards and her hands moved to her throat. She gulped down the air around her and filled her lungs in short sharp pants. Two familiar hands gripped her waist and pulled her back until she was lying back firmly against their chest.

"Sabo," she panted letting her eyes roam around her room. They were in their room, they weren't back there. She was safe.

"It was a nightmare." She gripped onto his arms like a life raft. He grounded her, he was what kept her from losing it like last time. She closed her eyes and let his scent wash over her. He always calmed her.

"What was it about?" Sabo whispered and she felt her body stiffen.

"Sabo," she whispered and buried her face into his neck. This dream was horrible. It wasn't like any of her other nightmares before. This was different. This felt real. Glancing around the room she searched for her little brother. She needed to see him, needed to know that he was safe.

"Where's Luffy!" her panic returned when she noticed the other three beds were empty.

"They're probably eating," Sabo laughed and tried to sooth her but she knew better. The storm crashed above their heads as if reminding her that something was wrong. She knew something wasn't right. Ace would never let them wander the halls through a storm.

"Luffy." She called out and pulled herself from Sabo's arms.

"Flick, what's wrong?" he questioned following her out of the room. He quickly grabbed his pipe from beside his bed and closed the door behind them. He cursed his brothers for leaving in the middle of the night. Did they really learn nothing over the last few weeks and how sensitive their sister was at the moment?

"Luffy!" she screamed out as she ran down the halls. The thunder clapped above them as he raced after his sister. He could barely hear her shouts and pleas for their brothers to appear. He could see her mouth screaming and her eyes darting around every inch of room in front of them.

"Flick, slow down." He urged her after she was flung into the wall as the ship tilted in the waves, but she didn't stop, whether it was because of the wailing noises above them blocking his voice or her panicked state, he wasn't sure. She burst out onto the deck and he saw her slip beneath the water. He rushed forwards and saw her clinging to the mast.

"Flick." He pulled her to her feet and held her against his chest. His eyes roamed around the deck and panic finally hit him. Something wasn't right. He looked up and noticed the lookout was empty. There was no one on patrol. The lights were dimmed, if not off all together. He knew the storm could have easily short circuited a fuse, but for them all to be off.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Where is everyone?" he whispered more to himself.

"Sabo, it's the feeling. Something's wrong. Something is really wrong. Luffy!" She grabbed his hand and he felt the familiar tug at his body as he was flickered from his spot. They landed in the lookout above the ship and he let his hands grip the wooden railing as he searched the ship below.

Something wasn't right. There should be double the people on lookout tonight. Extra people because of the storm. The navigation team should be away and dealing with this storm. Where was Namur? He brought his hand up to shade his eyes from the rain and tried to peer into the glassed room that sat further back on the deck. No one was there. Where was everyone!

"Look, Ace!" he turned quickly to face the back of the ship and that's when he saw signs of his brother. Two large flames flickered in the night and rain, but that was him. Two bursts were sent into the night sky.

He was fighting.

"Let's go." Sabo grabbed her hand and he felt the tug of his body. They landed as close as her power would allow them to. Which happened to land right outside the navigation room.

"Flick," he whispered harshly into the storm and quickly pushed against the door. Falling in he gasped. Four unconscious bodies were on the ground.

"Namur!" he called out and checked each of the bodies. But none were his guardian.

"Sabo hurry." Flick called and she broke free of his hand and rushed to the door. "I can't wait." Her voice was panicked as he raced after her.

"Flick wait," he pulled her back roughly and she slammed into his chest. "Don't rush into a battle remember." He felt her pause before she nodded. This was serious. There was something going on, and with the looks of Ace's flames it was big and that fact that there were four whitebeard pirates all knocked out was another thing. Even though they were new to them, they were still tough and there were four of them.

They crept along the side of the boat and tried to listen to what was happening, but the sounds of the storm raging above them cancelled out any chance of overhearing who was with Ace.

"Go find Thatch. First person you see you call for help." Sabo pulled her back so she was backed up against the wall. They were reaching the back of the ship and he could feel the air getting thinner. Something was going on and by the sounds of the battle beneath the storm, it was bad. He needed his sister to be as far away from here as possible.

"No, I'm not leaving my brothers." Flick spoke harshly and pushed back against his chest. He cursed her stubbornness and her agility as she slipped past him.

"Fuck."

Sabo chased after her and she pushed him flat against the wall next to her. What she had seen around the corner was enough for her to stop and hide herself.

"It's Teach." Her voice growled and Sabo was confused.

"Is he hurt?" Sabo questioned but he knew in that moment that that wasn't what she was meaning.

"No."

"Stay away from him. Thatch!" Luffy's voice caused them both to freeze. Thatch was there.

Octavia crept to the edge of the wall and peered around the corner once more. This time she let her eyes wander around the deck. A flame flew passed her eyes and off into the distance, but it was enough. It was enough to see why her brother had called out her guardians name in such a panic.

"Thatch."

Sabo looked around at his sister's whimper and then he saw their guardian lying lifeless on the ground. His arm held Flick to her spot as she tried to rush to his aid.

"Sabo let me go." She struggled but he kept her there.

"If you rush in there, he will die. Think Octavia." He snapped and felt her stop her struggling. "We need a plan. We will save him." He prayed that his words were the truth. His eyes watched as the rain seemed to spread the puddle of blood that surrounded his body. He could see the blood that dripped off of Luffy's chest as he stood guard over Thatch's body. He could see the blood dripping from Ace's mouth as he flew at Teach, throwing out attack after attack.

They needed a plan.

They needed a plan to actually help.

There was no time to rush for help.

He stared at the monster facing off three of the most important people in his life.

Time was not on their side.

Think.

* * *

"Why are you doing this!" Ace screamed out looking at the traitor before him. He never trusted this man, but the others did. He had spent years being a Whitebeard Pirate, he had spent years being a brother to the others. How could someone just betray their brothers?

Teach laughed loudly above the sound of the storm.

"I would stop at nothing to get what I want." He sneered and patted the large pocket to his coat. "I found what I've been looking for. Year's it took to find this, and now I have it." He beamed sadistically.

"Devil fruit." Thatch answered everyone's thoughts. Teach stole his devil fruit. He betrayed everyone for that devil fruit. He tried to kill his brother for a devil fruit. Rage built up in Ace's stomach as his flames licked over his skin.

"I will kill you." Ace growled and took a step forwards.

"You kill me? You're a laugh boy." Teach laughed and stood up from Thatch's body. Leaning forwards he ripped the knife that was still sticking out from his back. A growl erupted from the two of them as the blood dripped from the blade and onto Thatch's once white coat.

Ace knew that he would bleed out quicker now. He knew never to remove a weapon once it was deep inside. He knew that much. Lia had made sure to drill in as many medical hints into their heads for situations like this.

But what he knew now was that they were running out of time.

They had to do something otherwise Thatch was going to die.

And they might be next on the list.

"Luffy." He ordered and felt his brother come out from behind him and flanked his side. This was the real world. This is where they would fight for a friend. This is why they've been training for twelve months straight. This is why they will always continue to train, to protect those who are precious to them.

"You're going to pay." Luffy growled and thumped his fist into his other palm.

"Be quick. Do not stand still for even a second or I will kill you." Ace glanced down at his brother for a second. He knew that his training lately had been about speed, all their training had been to gain speed, and now it was going to be put to the test. "Get Thatch and find the guardians."

"Got it." Luffy waited for his brother's signal before moving. He didn't know what attack to use, or what Teach was going to do, but he had one mission. Get Thatch and run. Rescue their guardian then bring the rest of the guardians to attack.

He had his mission.

Whitebeard would know what to do.

Ace used his rage. He used his will to protect his precious people to keep his control. His body erupted into flames as he went for the attack. Shooting forwards he lunged at the man in front of him. His fist flew forwards and connected to the blade of his sword. His eyes never left the position of the gun or his brother.

Luffy took the moment and lunged forwards. His eyes flickered from his brother to Thatch who was still on the ground. He had to be smart, and he had to be quick. Dodging one of his brother's balls of flames he launched himself over a barrel and flew over the battle that had begun.

"Thatch." He called as he skidded on his knees right in front of his friends face. His hands were on his shoulders and tried to wake the man from his unconscious state. His hands hovered over the bleeding wound and he would feel the warmth of his blood seeping into his clothes. Ripping off his nightshirt he balled it into his hands and pressed it firmly against the wound. He knew he had to stop the bleeding.

"Come on Thatch, wake up." He pressed harder but he wouldn't wake. Searching around the deck he tried to find something to help carry that large man. But there wasn't anything.

Standing up he looked down at his guardian and stretched his arms out and wrapped them around Thatch's hands and swirled down his arms and down to his shoulders. With every bit of strength he could find he started to drag his friend. Slowly, bit by bit he felt the man start to move in his arms.

"Luffy!"

His eyes snapped over to the forgotten battle and he panicked. Ace was down on the ground on the other side of the deck and Teach was stalking towards him, with his blades raised. Thinking quickly he snapped his arms backwards and took in a large breath.

_'Gomu Gomu – Balloon.'_

He felt the slice of the blade across his chest but he kept up his defence. Pain erupted through his body but he held it. He could see his brother rushing towards him, ready to help.

"Get away from my brother!" Ace shouted and appeared in the air behind them. Teach growled as he had to lunge sideways to avoid Ace's burning fist.

"Luffy you okay?" Ace didn't take his eyes of Teach as he placed himself in-between Luffy and the monster.

"I'm okay." Luffy whimpered releasing the air from his stomach and sunk to the ground next to Thatch.

"You have to carry him Luffy. Drag him if you have too. Just get out of here." Ace spoke before he disappeared back into the battle.

"Come on Thatch." He whispered pushing himself to his feet. His hands moved to his chest and a small whimper fell from his lips. It hurt. He could see his own blood flowing down his chest and mixing with Thatch's.

"Luffy," his head snapped up at the sound of a new voice. Glancing around through the shadows of the night he felt his sister. She was there. Sabo was there too.

Ace stood off in front of his enemy panting.

"Give me back the fruit," Ace growled and let his flames rest for a moment. His eyes flickered over to his brother and could see him still standing.

"You will pay for what you've done." He growled trying to get a response from the man. He was trying to distract him long enough for Luffy to get Thatch and run away. But then he caught something. Luffy stopped and looked into the shadows around the back corner.

Someone was there.

Someone who wasn't able to take care of Teach in an instant.

Someone who wasn't a commander.

His siblings.

Growling he felt his fear rise again.

"This fruit will give me the power to be the king." Teach smirked and pulled the gun from his belt and pointed it directly towards him.

"Now, to end it." He raised the barrel towards him. But froze as he slowly turned his arm to face Luffy who was trying to drag Thatch away.

"No, no not Luffy!" Ace screamed and lunged forwards. His flames gave him the burst he needed to make it. The shot of the gun was almost silent against the thrashing of the storm above him.

But he heard it.

He saw it.

He felt it.

He locked eyes with the monster in front of him and the gun that seemed to be smoking at the barrel after its shot. Glancing down the lightning lit up around him showing him exactly where the bullet had hit. He could feel his flames trying to release the bullet, but they weren't listening to him. His flames receded back into his body and ignored his pleas for its return.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed for him as he fell to his knees.

"Run Luffy." He gurgled as blood dripped from his mouth. His eyes moved to Teach as he lowered the gun away from him, wearing a sadistic smile on his face.

"You made me waste a bullet you brat." Teach growled and slammed his foot into his wounded stomach. Falling backwards with a grunt he tried to hold back the pain that erupted from within him. The bullet was still inside him. The sea stone was draining ever bit of energy he had left. He could barely lift his head to see the man turn and walk away from him.

"Teach." He growled and pushed his hands forwards on the wooden deck. His fingers dug into the wood and pulled his body along the wet ground.

Luffy stood there in fear. His hands tugged on Thatch trying to drag him faster as Teach stalked towards him. His eyes darted to his brother who crawled desperately towards him with his own pool of blood following him.

"Stop." Luffy yelled and tugged further but not quick enough.

"Get away from him," Ace growled trying hard to pull himself towards Luffy.

"Pathetic." Teach laughed at him.

Luffy whimpered and yanked his friend with everything he had. But he wasn't strong enough, he wasn't quick enough. He watched as the shadow of the monster in front of him stalked him. Hunted him. It was just like in his nightmares. He was defenceless, he was powerless to do anything. He couldn't stop the shadow from hurting his siblings, he couldn't stop it from devouring his friends.

"You can die with the rest of them." Teach laughed and raised his gun towards him and he fell backwards. His arms snapped back to their size as he stayed slumped in front of Thatch. He would protect him till the final moment.

"Fuck off traitor."

* * *

_**"For trust not him that hath once broken faith."**_

* * *

***Runs and hides*  
**

**Two guesses who spoke the last line :p **

**The time has come. What will the brats do? What will happen to Thatch? What will happen to Teach? Where's Namur? **

**Thanks to: Guest, Yayoi.T , AddyBaby, AnimeFan, BlueFightingBepo, GoldMelonn, GuestyGuest, Crazy AJ, Reagan, LilNightmare, NHarmonic, Futago No Akuma Shimai**

**Next up: ... Flash backs to Namur Child hood. ... lol KIDDING there will be no filler ;)**


	30. Chapter 30 - Shadows Part 2

**Hello my lovelies - MID WEEK UPDATE! Couldn't help it you guys and your reviews and comments :D Plus I hate cliffies so I had to post sooner that later :D Hope I keep you happy xx**

* * *

_**"You may have to fight a battle more than once, to win it."**_

* * *

Octavia watched as Sabo crept around the opposite side of the ship. Keeping his presence a secret as he made his way over to Ace. Things had escalated in a manner of seconds of them arriving. She was glad for Sabo's level headed thinking. If she had rushed in their like she was going to seconds ago, they would all be dead.

But now she had a chance to save them.

A chance to save all of them.

She took a deep breath and watched and listened as the monster of a man taunted her brothers. She could see Ace on the ground as his blood gushed from his stomach. His hands not even bothering to try and stop the bleeding as he crawled anxiously towards Luffy. She wished he wouldn't move. The closer he got to Teach, the further away he was from Sabo and their rescue plan.

She waited until Teach was far enough away from a bleeding Ace to appear. She needed all the attention on her, and off of her older brothers and their silent attempts of a rescue. She begged for Luffy to stay strong. She was coming. She was going to protect him. Her heart broke at the sound of her little brother's pleas.

Disappearing from her cover she appeared in front of her younger brother with her shield out and wrapped around the three of them as she stared down at the man in front of her with a small triumphant smile on her face. She made it. They made perfect timing.

"Fuck off traitor," she snarled looking at the man she despised most in this world.

"Flick!" Luffy screamed out and quickly got back up to his feet and stood beside her. She felt his cold shivering fingers wrap around her hand.

"I'm right here Lu," she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, reassuring him that she was there. He wasn't alone and he never would be.

"You," Teach snarled at her with his pistol snapping directly at her eyes.

"I knew there was something wrong with you." She shouted trying to by Sabo some time.

"You have been a pain in my side ever since you arrived." Teach stepped closer to her shield and she resisted the urge to throw him backwards. "I really do wish you had died all those months ago." She felt Luffy's growl beside her. "I guess I will just have to make up for it now." He cocked his head to the side as he was all but a few feet in front of her. She could practically smell the burnt gun powder as he stepped closer and closer.

"Bullets don't work on my shield. That I do know." She goaded trying to keep his attention on her. But deep down she felt a flicker of fear pound in her chest. She knew normal bullets didn't work; she knew that tranquiliser bullets didn't work; but she had no idea what a sea stone bullet would do to her shield. And by the looks of her older brother, they were indeed pure sea stone and they paralysed devil fruit users.

She avoided glancing over to Ace, but she could see from the corner of her vision that he was being moved slowly away from the centre of the deck and behind the corner. Sabo had made it to him.

Her mind snapped back when she felt a slash to her shield. Teach growled and slashed with his blade over and over at her shield.

* * *

Sabo looked at his brother from behind his crate. He waited until he knew it would be safe before he rushed out into the open. He had to be quick and silent. He couldn't alert Teach to his presence.

"Psst!" he called loud enough for just his brother to hear, even if it was over the loud crashes of the storm above them. But he needed Ace to see him, he needed him to stay where he was. He couldn't go any closer or risk exposing them. Ace's eyes grew wide as he locked onto his position.

Together they both looked back to Luffy and finally Flick appeared onto the deck with her shield wrapped around their precious people. Taking his signal he darted out from his spot and rushed towards his fallen brother.

"Luffy?" Ace whimpered through his pain as he eyed him off.

"Flick's got him. We have a plan." He pulled Ace's arm over his shoulder and lifted him to his feet. Slowly he dragged him from the open area of the deck and behind a stack of crates hidden from sight. As soon as they were sheltered he put him down and leant him against the wall. There was so much blood.

"Fuck." Sabo winced looking at the blood pouring from his brother's stomach. Pulling off his shirt he wrapped it into a ball and pressed it against his stomach. He hoped it was just the effects of the rain crashing down on them, but the pool of dark red forming beneath them was terrifying. There was so much blood.

Ace held back the scream as the pressure intensified. This was unlike anything he had ever felt before. His body wasn't fighting back. There was no strength left in him to even move let alone keep fighting. This wasn't like him. He always kept fighting. No matter the wound her suffered he never gave up. He felt like he was on fire, and not the usual kind he was now adapted too. This felt raw and agonising. Flash backs flew across his mind of the time in grey terminal when the fire had surrounded them.

"The bullets still in there." He groaned as Sabo pressed harder.

"We have to get you to Lia." Sabo leant around the corner and peered out into the open trying to see what was going on.

"No." His voice gasped.

A loud bang echoed around the deck.

"Flick!"

Luffy's voice pierced the night louder than any of the lightning and thunder above them.

"It's Flick. Go save them." Ace pushed his brother's worrying hands away from him. "I'll be fine. Go save our family." He prayed that his siblings were alright. He didn't want them to be feeling this pain he was feeling. He would take a thousand more bullets than let them feel like this.

* * *

A small smirk fell on her lips as she stared at the enraged Teach. He couldn't get to her, he couldn't get to Luffy or to Thatch. She was protecting them and she would protect them until her very last breath.

"Hide all you want, you little bitch. I'll kill the other brat instead." Turning around Teach faced the empty deck.

"Did you really think I was here alone?" Octavia took her brother's hand and knelt down beside her guardian. She could feel how cold his skin was against hers, but she gripped onto his hand. She would get them out of here. She would get them to Lia and they would be fine. Ace was safe now. Sabo was safe. Now they had to get out of here and alert the others. Whitebeard would handle the rest.

Move.

A shot rang through the air and she felt the wind knock out of her from two directions, she felt Luffy's hand within hers yank her sideways as a burn tore through her shoulder. Her eyes moved to her shoulder were a small pool of blood was slowly seeping through her shirt and down her arm.

"Flick!"

Her shield crumbled around her, and her body collapsed from her spot and straight into Thatch's side. Her hand moved to her shoulder and she felt her blood. She tried to speak, willed her body to move but nothing obeyed. Her heart raced in her chest faster and faster as she felt the bullet grasp at her powers. There was a war going on inside of her, the sea stone verses her own ability to supress it.

"Flick!" Luffy crouched down in front of her, his eyes and hands hovering over her wounded shoulder. A groan escaped her lips as she put pressure on the wound to try and stop the bleeding. She had to stop the bleeding; she had to get the bullet out.

"I guess your shield doesn't stop all bullets," Teach gloated and stepped towards them.

"Stay back, or I'll kill you." Luffy suddenly turned around and put himself between her and Teach, his arms were out wide trying to cover as much space as he could.

"Bullets don't work huh?" Teach taunted her as he stalked towards them and raised the gun back towards them. "And here I thought you were immune to sea stone." He laughed and she could see his index finger slide against the metal towards the trigger.

"Luffy," Octavia's hands flashed forwards to grab onto Luffy but he was too far in front. Her eyes widened in fear as the gun was directed to him. Directly at his head.

"I'll kill you!" Luffy screamed and launched himself from beside her. A shot rang through the air and she watched as her brother effortlessly dodged the incoming attack and retaliated with his own set of punches.

She pushed off of Thatch and fell forwards, her hands came out quickly and desperately trying to stop her brother.

Luffy was furious.

The shadow of the monster was hurting his family.

He launched himself from his spot and felt his fists grow bigger as he threw a punch towards the monster. His eyes widened as his attack was avoided and then he felt it. A gasp escaped his lips as a punch was hurled into his stomach. His body was thrown to the side and he managed to land in a crouch on the ground. He was too slow.

"Luffy!" His sister called for him and he saw her struggle to get to her feet.

A growl erupted through his lips as the man laughed at his sister's struggles. Pushing from his feet he feigned to the left. At the last second he pushed off the ground and swivelled onto his right foot and twisted in the air. His leg round housed behind him and he felt it connect.

Desperately she tried to force her shield out over and over, but nothing came. No shield. No protection. Each time an agonising pain flooded through her body, the battle inside of her wasn't going well, and the bullet was holding her back more than ever before. She had to watch as her youngest brother engaged with Teach. She watched punch after punch he received then dodged. No matter how many hits he took, Luffy was back up again.

"Flick!"

"Luffy!" She screamed as he landed on the ground in a painful grunt.

"Get up!" she screeched as the man stood over her brother. His large hand bent down and picked him up by the neck.

"Let go of him you bastard." She found her footing and pushed herself closer to them.

"Lemme go." Luffy gasped desperately for air.

"Pathetic." Teach laughed and she saw his foot come at her before she had time to dodge. The force sent her flying back and into Thatch's unconscious body on the ground. Her stomach groaned and she felt her ribs protest at the smallest movements.

"I had no idea what Whitebeard saw in you four." Teach spoke as he held Luffy by his throat in the air. She could see his legs stretching out, trying to kick the man.

"Stop, let him go!" she screamed and pushed herself off her guardian. Every movement sent pain through her entire body. She knew now why Ace couldn't move. The sea stone imbedded into their skin, paralysed them. But not her, not completely she could still move she could still fight back.

"The future generations of Whitebeard Pirates. What a ridiculous dream." Teach headed to the back of the boat.

"Flick." Luffy screamed as his eyes flashed to the water that churned behind him. He knew what the man was planning. Thunder clapped above them almost mocking every attempt to call for help. They were alone in this fight, no one was coming to save them.

"Don't. Stop. Please."

She pulled herself to her feet and her hand clamped over the wound. The sea stone was stopping her. It made her weak.

"Help, somebody help!" she screamed as loud as she could but it was masked by the thunder clapping above her. She hobbled closer and closer to the two but he was moving quicker than she could.

"Flick." Her brother pleaded to her as he was edged closer and closer to the deadly sea behind him.

"Try and save him now." Teach laughed and held Luffy high above his head. His feet were wrapping around the man's arm as he tried with all his might to stay on the ship. "Maybe I should put a bullet in you as well."

"No!" She screamed out desperately. She needed her shield. She needed her powers back. Looking down at her shoulder she felt her desperation take over. Digging her fingers into the wound she screamed but kept going. Her fingers felt the metal that drained her energy.

A shot rang through the air and her eyes widened in fear.

"Flick!"

Luffy's scream forced her fingers to rip the bullet from her shoulder and she lunged forwards, her stomach connected harshly with the wooden railing as her hands desperately reached over the back of the ship. Her eyes connected with his body as it disappeared over the side of the ship and towards the water below.

"Luffy!" she screamed as he disappeared from her sight and beneath the monstrous waves. She threw her shield through the crashing water trying to locate him.

"Luffy." Sabo's scream appeared from somewhere behind her and the last thing she saw was his blurred body diving over the ledge and into the waters below.

"Sabo!" she screamed and threw her shield around to follow after her brother.

"Four down. One to go."

Turning around quickly she managed to duck under the swing of his blade as it threatened to take off her head. She pushed back the tears that were clouding her vision and lunged for Sabo's discarded pipe and held it up to defend herself.

"You're a weak brat." Teach laughed and swung his sword with a speed she didn't know the man possessed. She dodged quickly and escaped from losing her torso, instead she felt the tip of the blade slice through her stomach. Falling to one knee she clutched her pipe tighter.

She knew what she had to do.

She had to get help.

She needed more help.

Dodging another attack she flickered to the other side of the deck. Her lungs protested against her ribs as she forced her power to cooperate.

"Get back here you bitch." Teach growled and stormed towards her.

Looking across to the other end of the deck, she flickered and crashed to the ground in front of Thatch. She could no longer keep full control over her powers, or her landings. She pulled herself to her guardians face and pulled his head into her lap. Tears slowly slid down her face as she tried to summon more of her power. It would take two more flickers to reach Ace. And then who knows how many to get them to safety.

"Get back here you bitch!"

Wrapping them both in her shield she tried to catch her breath and prepare for two more moves. Two more and then she could get help. She prayed for Luffy, prayed that Sabo managed to find him. She prayed for her guardian and for Ace.

"Princess," her eyes snapped open and she looked down at her guardian's dark eyes pairing back up at her. "Don't cry Turtle." He whispered to her.

"Thatch." Her voice broke as she leant down and pressed her forehead against his.

"Find Ace and run." Her head snapped back. "You can't take us both. Find your brother and get out of here." He placed his hand on her cheek but she shook her head. She could take the three of them. She could save them.

"No." She pressed both her hands onto his shoulders and with a gasp of breath she looked over to the other side of the deck and found her spot. With a small glance back to Teach she saw he was feet away from her. With a crash landing she tried to shield her guardian's body from the impact as they rolled to a stop. Her breaths were short and sharp as she pulled herself to her knees.

"Flick."

Her head snapped forwards and she saw Ace dragging his body towards her. Her hand went to her mouth in complete shock. His entire body was covered in his own blood. The bleeding from his stomach wasn't stopping.

"Ace stop." She rushed to his side as he collapsed to the ground. Her hands moved to his stomach and she removed the red material and looked at the bubble of blood that tricked from his wound. She didn't know how far in the bullet was. She didn't know if she could reach it. Pressing the once white shirt back onto his stomach she flickered them back to Thatch.

"Luffy, Sabo?" Ace hissed as she pressed against his stomach.

"I don't know." Tears blurred her vision and she could feel Teach catching up to her now.

"Flick!" Ace tried to move but she held him down.

"Luffy went over, Sabo followed." She cried and felt a slam against her shield. His growl erupted around her and she felt her fear spike. Her eyes darted to the gun that was still filled with sea stone bullets. One more shot and they would all die. She didn't know where Luffy and Sabo were, Ace was dying in front of her and Thatch was unconscious. She couldn't watch it anymore, she couldn't watch anymore people she loved get hurt.

"Just leave." She screamed. Lightning crashed above her head as she clutched onto her brother and guardian.

"Just leave us alone. Just go! Just get out of here!" She yelled again. A light flickered behind her and she glanced over her shoulder. Someone was coming.

"Papa!" She screamed as loud as she could and then a light was turned towards her. A lantern.

"Papa please!" She screamed louder and felt her entire body start to crumble. She couldn't keep her arm up much longer.

She turned back to Teach but he was gone.

"Flick!"

A panicked voice rushed towards her and she looked up to see Marco beside her shield.

"Fucken hell." He pressed his hands onto her shield and she finally felt safe. She lowered her shield and she felt her body begin to collapse. Sirens blared around her and she felt her vision slowly fade in and out of the darkness around her.

"Octavia where are the others?" Marco pulled her into his lap and she tried hard to keep her eyes open. "Come on Octavia, where is Luffy and Sabo?" he urged shaking her lightly.

"Overboard."

* * *

"Take her to bed three." Lia shouted through the flooded infirmary. Marco nodded and rush to the empty bed and placed Octavia down on the plane white sheet. He grabbed the bandages off the cart and began putting pressure to her wounds. His mind was racing. He wanted to go out and help with the search but there weren't enough people to help with the injured.

"What's going on!" Namur's voice broke through the noise as he was pushed back down on his own bed by Izo. "Where's Sabo!" he screamed looking at Octavia and Ace who lay broken and bleeding on separate beds.

"Shut up or I sedate you!" Lia shouted with raw fury and Namur nodded but didn't lie down. He had to hear what happened, he had to know where Sabo and Luffy were.

"Lia," a nurse shouted as Thatch was carried into the room on a stretcher.

"Fuck, take him into surgery room two now!" She ordered and the four pirates ushered him in as she looked over Ace.

"He' stable take him through as well." She removed the bullet and stopped the bleeding but that was only keeping him alive for mere moments longer. She moved across the room and looked over Octavia. Her red hair seemed to mash together with the rain and blood covering her. Three major wounds, shoulder, stomach and ribs. Pulse was strong, breathing was normal.

"No exit wound." She searched her shoulder and found no trace of the bullet. "More pressure Marco." She handed him a clean bandage and changed it with his used one as she moved to her stomach. A long thing cut ran across from hip to rib. Any deeper and there wouldn't have been a chance of survival. Her ribs could wait.

"She'll be fine." She called out orders to the nursers than ran through to the operating room. They needed her more there. She took once small glance as the bleeding girl before closing the doors behind her. She was the safest of them all right now. Her eyes snapped to the room in front of her and at the two bodies that seemed to resemble more like corpses than living humans.

"Four bags of blood now. Open the lines." She ordered and rushed towards Thatch.

Suddenly the frantic infirmary room was quite. Marco looked down at Octavia who was now receiving both a bag of blood and fluids as he applied pressure to her wounds. His spare hand ran through her wet locks as he stared down at her pale form. It seemed too soon that they all appeared back in this room. He never wanted to see her like this again, broken, bruised and fighting for her life. It wasn't meant to be like this. For any of them.

"Marco," he looked to the other end of the room to his brother. "What happened to them?" Namur barely whispered. His eyes moved back to the Octavia who felt warm under his touch. Her body was fighting, fighting so hard to keep her alive.

"I don't know." Marco sighed and leant forwards and pressed a kiss into her forehead. He felt useless. He felt scared, no he was terrified.

"Don't give up Octavia." He whispered hoping that his words would reach her.

He couldn't lose any of them.

Not his brother.

Not Ace, not Octavia, not any of his brats.

He was about to say something when the infirmary door crashed open.

"Help, he's not breathing!" Izo crashed through dragging half the ocean in with him. In his arms lay Luffy unconscious. No.

"Save him!" Sabo followed in next being held by Vista. "Luffy!"

"Izo in here now." Lia held the door open with her foot as Luffy disappeared into the operating room with the others. Three people were in that room. Three of his most precious people in the world.

"Sabo!" Namur shot forwards.

"Namur!" Sabo ran to his guardian and threw himself into his arms. "It was Teach. Teach did it." Sabo chanted over and over again. "We fought him, he had stabbed Thatch."

"What?" Namur and Marco snapped to the boy.

"He wanted the fruit. I heard it. We all did. He took Thatch's devil fruit." Sabo explained frantically looking from each of the commanders. "You have to believe me I wouldn't lie!" he shouted.

"We believe you. We believe you." Namur gathered him up in his arms and clung to the trembling boy.

"They can't die. Please they can't die." Sabo whimpered while burying his face into Namur's shirt.

"Have faith Sabo. Lia's with them." Namur wrapped his blanket around the both of them and tried to warm him up. But deep down, he knew that the shaking wasn't purely from the icy waters outside. Namur looked to the nurse who was approaching him with a sedative. With a small nod he moved Sabo on his chest so his arm was out of the blanket, with a quick jab Sabo's eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

"You're safe now." Namur whispered but kept holding onto him. He wasn't letting him go for anything.

"Teach." His eyes moved to his brother who was having a harder time controller himself from the news.

"He was on duty tonight." Namur spoke realising the pattern slowly aligning.

"You were the distraction." Marco caught on quickly. "He drugged you to bring the forces here. But how would he know Thatch would be the one to invoke protocol three." Marco ranted trying to see through Teach's thinking. It was their emergency drills, if anything suspicious, or a suspicion of an attack came aboard at night, a commander was to take control of the deck. He himself would report to Pops and then give out the orders. That was their protocols.

"How'd he know it was going to be Thatch and not you or Izo?" Marco looked to his brother.

"I was on maintenance tonight. Everyone knew I was in the boiler room tonight." Vista spoke answering one theory. "Izo had pulled double look out last night."

"Where's Pops?" Namur asked.

"He's with the rest of the crew. They're securing the ship in case of an attack." Vista explained but now they could see all that it was pointless. They weren't getting attacked by marines, or by other pirates. They were getting attacked by a traitor.

"Tell him to come down here. Do not speak of what you've heard. This stays between us until we can find proof." Marco ordered and Vista nodded. Everyone knew instantly what could happen if this was leaked, what if someone was still working with their traitorous brother? What if there was more to this story than what they had heard in a matter of two sentences. If there was someone else working with Teach, than they weren't going to let them know they knew?

* * *

Voices broke through the silence that was in her mind. She felt numb all over. The pain she had been feeling was now gone and she felt as though she was floating in the air. Slowly blinking her eyes open she was rewarded with a pulse of white light. Quickly shutting them she groaned and pushed her face into the soft pillow beneath her.

"Lia do something!"

_Lia was here…_

"He's crashing."

"You're okay, slowly open your eyes for me princess."

Listening to the voice in front of her, she gentle opened her eyes bit by bit. Her eyes fell onto Lyon who was crouched down beside her bed. His hand was on her cheek and she saw a small smile on his face. But in his eyes she knew the truth.

Everything was bad.

Lifting her head she tried to look around her friend but he was blocking her view. She could hear the commotion behind him. Everything was really bad.

"Thatch?" she whispered. "My brothers?" she felt a slight rise in her chest when she wasn't quickly told that they were fine.

"Octavia you need to rest," he pressed her shoulder to stay on the bed but she pushed back.

"What happened to them!" she screamed and pushed against her restraints. "Lyon, where are they!" Tears flooded down her face as she gripped onto his arms.

"Lia is working on them." He spoke quickly and gained her attention. "Izo and Vista found Sabo and Luffy soon after we found you. Sabo will be fine, he was conscious when we pulled him from the water. Luffy took a bit of a hit, but he will be fine. Lia has him on heavy pain medications to let him heal." He explained and she nodded.

That was two.

Luffy was safe.

Luffy would be fine.

Sabo was safe.

"The others." She gasped.

"We don't know yet Flick." Tears fell from Lyon's eyes as he let his head hang. The words rang in her ears over and over again. "You need to stay still." He commanded but she fought against his arms.

"He's coding." Lia's voice rang through the room and she tried to get to whoever was in danger.

"Prep the cart."

"Come on Thatch, don't you die you bastard."

"Thatch!" her voice screamed and she saw Marco round the corner and rush towards her.

"Thatch!" she screamed louder and felt her heart pound against her check. Her throat began to close around her breath and she felt herself grasping for air.

"It's alright, it's going to be alright." Marco spoke to her and she felt a prick against her arm. Her vision started to fade as Marco held her against him.

"Thatch." She whispered before disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

Octavia slowly let her heavy eyes start to open.

White.

Everything was white. Tilting her head to the side she saw Lyon still by her side. His hand was clutching at hers and she could see the redness that rimmed his eyes.

Something was wrong.

Everything was wrong.

Thatch.

She looked at the numerous wires attached to herself and the needle pressed deep within her elbow. She knew she had to stay in bed. But she had to see them. She had to find out for herself what was going on. With a small tug she pulled the cord from her arm, but left the needle and tape on her elbow. It would only be a few minutes before she would be found and forced back to bed with the drip on.

Swinging her legs off the bed she winced at the feeling of her ribs protest against her movements. They were definitely broken. She slipped her hand out from under Lyons, and gentle lowered herself onto the cool floor and walked around the curtain that divided the beds. She was in the furthest one away.

Her eyes grew wide at the blood that seemed to standout shockingly on the white sheets and clean walls. Her eyes ran over a person she didn't expect to see in a bed.

Namur.

He was hooked up to just as many machines as she had been. Both blood and fluids ran into both his long blue arms. He had twice as many bags of medicine running into his body. She wondered what had happened to him. Did Teach do something to him as well, was that why he wasn't on watch in navigation room?

Stepping past his bed she looked into the next bed.

"Thatch!" she called out seeing his body lying in the bed closest to her. She rushed to his side where she saw a mountain of tubes and cords running through his body and into various bags above her head.

"Flick, you should be resting." Marco's head lifted from the chair opposite her. She ignored his words and moved to her guardians face. He was so pale. His hair was a mess and his eyes and face were sullen.

But he was alive.

He was still alive.

"Thatch." She whispered wishing he would wake up. She wanted to hear his voice. She wanted him to call her his princess, or any of the thousand other stupid nicknames he called her by. She just wanted to see his eyes open.

"Lia has him stabilised. He should be waking up any minute now." Marco stood up and moved to stand behind her. His firm hands were placed on her shoulders and she felt herself relax even just a little.

Her hand moved to Thatch's pale hand above the white sheet and she held onto his cold one. It wasn't meant to be that cold. He was always warm. He was the one to banish the ice that raged through her body. He kept her safe, he kept her warm.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she pressed her forehead into his hand. Her head snapped up when she felt the hand squeeze back. Her eyes moved to Thatch's face as a groan slipped through his lips.

"Thatch, can you hear me?" Marco stepped forwards and peered down at his face.

"Octavia."

She moved under Marco's arms and placed herself where Thatch could see her without moving.

"I'm here." She spoke through her tears. His head rolled to the side and she smiled as his eyes landed on her.

"You're okay?" he barely whispered and she clutched onto his hand while nodding. She was okay. She was fine.

"The boys?" he asked turning to Marco.

"Sabo will be fine. Luffy has yet to wake up, but he will soon. Ace is-" Marco spoke and looked down to her. "It's too soon to tell." Marco growled out. A sob broke through her lips and she buried her face into Thatch's hand. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to believe it. Not a day earlier they were all happy and having fun together and now, now. She just got them all back, they were all back together.

"He will be fine, Princess. This is Ace we're talking about." She lifted her eyes to Thatch as he tried to smile down to her. "He's too stubborn remember."

"Are you in pain, I should get a nurse." Marco hovered but Thatch shook his head.

"No, leave them. I'm fine. Still numb." Thatch laughed but it turned into a cough quickly.

"Thatch." She whispered and clutched onto his hand tighter.

"I'm fine princess."

She looked up at her guardian one last time before moving over to the next bed. The sight of her brothers lying on those white cold beds with so many cords and wires running from them scared her like nothing else. Marco followed her and sat down in the chair separating the two beds between Ace and Thatch.

"You should still be in your bed," Marco whispered pulling her into his lap.

"Don't make me." She whimpered pulling his arms closer to surround her. She needed someone to hold her. She needed someone to tell her it was going to be alright.

"Close your eyes sweetheart, I'm right here." Marco whispered and she felt her eyes obey his command.

A silent tear fell from her eyes and she clutched onto Marco as he tucked her head under his chin. No words needed to be said. They were all feeling the same pain as she felt. Glancing over at the other beds she saw Sabo and Luffy resting peacefully with less cords than the other.

She was immensely relieved to know that they would both be fine. Her fears now were for Ace.

Don't give up Ace.

She was awoken by loud beeping and yells all around the room. Marco stood up quickly and backed away until they were standing up against the back wall. Her eyes darted around to Lia and her team pushing in carts of medicines and machines and surrounded Ace's bed.

"Ace?" she questioned not liking to the sounds blaring from the machine beside him. Lia was shouting so many things she couldn't understand.

"Ace!" she screamed letting her fingers dig into Marco's arm as he held her away from the scene. "Marco what's happening!"

"What's going on!" Sabo was awake and sitting up against Izo's arms. "Ace!" he screamed.

"He'll be okay." Marco whispered over and over as they watched them hover over her brother.

"Ace don't you do this!" Sabo screamed thrashing against Izo's arms.

"He's seizing!" a nurse called out and she watched in horror as Ace started to convulse on his bed.

"Ace!" both their cries echoed around the room.

"Thatch."

"Thatch."

Her eyes darted to the other side of the room and she could see her guardian struggling to breathe. His hands were on his chest as he tried to remove whatever force was preventing the air from reaching his lungs.

"No," she whimpered as her hand clamped over her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes as her two people were in trouble.

"Lia!" Lyon shouted as he tried to push Thatch back down on the bed.

"Fuck." Lia ran from one bed to the others as warnings and loud beeps were flooding through the room.

"Marco," Octavia whimpered looking at the nightmare before her.

"Thatch you need to calm down." Lia pushed his large chest down and put her ear to his chest. Panic flooded her when she lifted the white gown and saw large purple bruises covering his entire stomach. Internal bleeding. This was bad. She looked back and forth between the charts and the heart rate monitors behind Thatch's bed. He needed surgery.

They both needed surgery.

This was bad.

"Prep him." She called out to her nurses. "Take him into room three."

"He's coding." One of her nurses shouted from behind her and she ran back to Ace's side.

"Fuck. Don't do this to me brat." She looked down at the young boy as his pulse disappeared.

"Ace, what's wrong with him!" Sabo yelled. "Someone tell me what's wrong with him!"

"Come on Ace, don't do this to me!" Lia shouted as she started to press down on her brother's chest over and over again. The room seemed to echo with the constant sounds of beeping from the machines.

"Ace," her voice whimpered. "You promised."

"No pulse."

"You promised you would never die!" Her voice screeched as the line on the machine behind his head became steady.

"Fight Ace, Don't you dare give up!" Sabo yelled.

"Ace!" she thrashed against Marco's grip on her.

"Come back!" Tears flooded down her cheeks as Marco gripped her tighter.

"Don't leave me!" She screamed.

"We found a pulse!" A nurse shouted and the beeping returned to a constant rhythm.

"Get them both in there now!" Lia yelled over the chaos and noise.

"Save Ace." Thatch's gasping voice broke through the commotion and Lia ran to his side.

"Save him first." He wheezed and Lia paused as his strong hand gripped her wrist.

"Shut up moron, I'll save you both," she yelled back and quickly unhocked his bed from the wall and began walking beside him as he was rolled away.

"Promise me." Her eyes locked onto his and she nodded. She hated the man for what he was making her do. She never wanted to say those words, she never wanted to make that kind of promise. But she did. She would save Ace first. Then him.

"I promise." She whispered and snagged her hand back.

"I love you Octavia." Her eyes locked onto Thatch's for a fraction of a second before he was gone.

_I love you Octavia_

_I love you Octavia _

_I love you Octavia _

She didn't know what was going on. She watched in terror as her guardian and brother were wheeled into the room that she woke up in all those months ago. She could remember the cold metal walls and the clean mirrors the shined the truth around her. She remembered waking up there, and Thatch was the first person she had seen.

"No," she whispered.

"Ace."

"Thatch." Her pleads grew louder and more hysterical as realisation hit her. That room was for surgery. That room was where Lia went to try and save their lives. They were dying.

They were both dying.

Everything froze around her. She could no longer hear the alarming bells that rang throughout the room, or the voices of her guardians as they tried to speak to her. She couldn't feel Marco's arms that surrounded her or the feel the heat of his skin against her. Her eyes stayed locked onto the room that two of her most precious people were taken too.

"Flick," she could hear her brother calling to her, but she couldn't move. She couldn't stop looking at those doors.

* * *

_**"We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone." **_

* * *

**Well there you go. **

**Not soo much as another cliffy -maybe - but more action! Luffy damn hes fun to write in a battle :p **

**Hope I did okay with the medical terms, if it's wrong and you know this please tell me! I get my knowledge from medical shows ahhaha**

**Hope the action lived up to peoples expectations...**

**Sorry to everyone who wanted me to have Teach killed off now, sorry. I can't have that happen yet, he's too much of an important character to die now. **

**Thanks to: GoldenMelon, Kuroshoshix, Goldspark1 - enough conflict? - bloodhell99, futago no akuma shimai, Rinslayer, Addbaby, guest, Childhoodfun, onepiecedoesexist, N Harmonic, Lilnightmare, Yayoi Tsukikage, Animefan, ForeeverAwesomeASD, dragonwolf416**

Love you guys xx


	31. Chapter 31 - Shadows Pt 3

**Hey the lovelies! Well A] Sorry about the day lateness of this chapter, 2 things saw Ed Sheeran last night OMG. And also injured my almost healed ankle yay! So pain meds have had me sleepy. Well those are my excuses and I'm sticking to it! :p **

**But here we go! **

**BTW Read end note! :) Enjoy xx**

* * *

_**"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever. The goal is to create something that will."**_

* * *

"Flick can you hear me?"

_They're coding…_

"Octavia, come on sweetheart."

_Save Ace. Save Ace first…_

"Why isn't she answering?"

_Come back Ace…_

"She's in shock Luffy, give her some time."

_Take them into Room three…_

"They will be okay Flick, I promise."

_No Pulse._

_I love you Octavia_

_I love you Octavia_

"They're alive Flick. Ace and Thatch they're both alive."

Her eyes slowly focused and she felt her breath hitch. Tears formed in her eyes as she looked at her brother kneeling beside her head. His pale hand was on her forehead and gently brushing through her hair.

"Sabo." Her voice cracked as he smiled down at her. She was still covered in bandages and she noticed they were no longer in the infirmary but in her father's room. She lay on his large bed with the blanket wrapped tightly around her. She heard a small bark and a cold lick on her face. Turning her head she noticed Ghost laying behind her with his large head on her chest. How long had she been asleep for? What happened to everyone? Were they all alright?

"I'm here." Sabo climbed onto the bed with his one good arm, whilst the other was in a sling. He was alive. He was awake.

"Everyone's going to be okay. Everyone's alive." He spoke firmly as his arm wrapped around her. She felt her body crave for his warmth and the sound of his voice.

Everyone was okay.

Everyone was alive.

"Luffy?" her voice cracked searching the room for her little brother. She needed to see him. She needed to see his smile and hear his laugh. She needed to replace that horrifying echo of his scream in her head.

"With Izo." He turned and looked past his own shoulder. That's when she noticed the rest of the guardians in the room. Luffy was sleeping in Izo's lap on the couch in the distance, she could see a small snot bubble growing and shrinking as he breathed. His hat was on Izo's head as his hands were clinging to the sharpshooter's jacket. Izo's hand was running small circles on his back and he was whispering to her brother. She had no idea what he was saying, but it kept Luffy calm.

Her eyes glanced around the room and Namur gave her a small smile when their eyes connected. He was fine too. He wasn't covered in bandaged but he looked pale, if he could even look pale. There was were dark black rings around his heavy eyes. But he was alive.

"Everyone's okay." He whispered as her eyes shut again. She couldn't remember how long it had been, how long since she had heard something good, or anything at all.

"I missed you." She whispered into her brother's neck as reality set it. They were all alive. They were alive.

* * *

It had been days before anyone was allowed into the infirmary. Octavia, would sit outside the door with Sabo and Luffy just waiting. They knew that Ace and Thatch were alright, but that didn't stop them from worrying. They were granted to see them a few times, but they were always asleep. Lia had said that it was a good thing, the longer they rested the quicker they would recover. Even though each of them understood why, it didn't mean that they had to like it.

Both Ace and Thatch, had hardly been awake for more than a few minutes at a time before they were either knocked out from the pain or from the exhaustion. Either way, she was glad that they weren't in pain when they were sleeping.

But today was different, today was going to be the day they were allowed visitors and she was more than anxious to see two of her most precious people alive and well. She wanted to hear their voices, their comments and their laughter. She wanted to see them smiling and moving around like they used to.

The door to the infirmary opened slowly and all their heads snapped up together as Lia stepped out with Marco beside her. Marco and Lia were the only one beside Whitebeard, to actually be allowed in the room when they were awake.

"Can we see them now?" Sabo asked and Lia nodded.

"Remember, no yelling, no running, and Luffy strictly no jumping on their beds, do I make myself clear?" Lia blocked the path until she got a clear answer from each of them. "Come now, they're ready for you."

Standing up Sabo took the lead and grabbed both her and Luffy's hands and stepped into the room. Her eyes roamed around the room expecting to still see the blood that lined every inch of the white room, but there was none.

It looked like it usually did. It looked like the same old infirmary that they would go to for all their small scrapes and bruises from training. There wasn't a single drop of blood or bloodied bandage on the ground reminding them of what had happened only days ago.

"Hey guys."

Her head snapped up and a smile that rivalled that of Luffy's appeared on her face.

"ACE!" the three of them shouted with glee as they rushed to his bedside.

"You're okay." Her voice whispered back the assault of emotions that were flooding to the surface. He was alive. He was sitting right in front of her. Her eyes wandered over his entire mummified body, but her eyes rested on his dark eyes. He was alive.

"I'm fine." He scoffed in a very traditional Ace like manor.

"Ace is okay?" Luffy whispered catching everyone's eyes.

"Yes Luffy." Ace leant forwards and held back his wince as he captured his youngest brother's hand in his own.

"Ace." Marco warned and stepped in on the other side of his bed and placed his hand on his shoulder trying to urge him back against the pillows. "Remember to stay laying down."

Ace turned to face his guardian with a sullen look crossing his eyes. He all but pleaded to his guardian. He needed this. He needed to hold his brother. "Please," he whispered so low that only Marco heard.

"Five minutes." Marco sighed and was quick to pick Luffy off the ground and place him beside Ace on the bed.

"Don't move around Lu," Sabo spoke gently as Luffy looked unsure of what to do. He was told strictly not to be on Ace's bed. He glanced back and looked at Lia who was wearing her scary face again.

"Go on." She sighed and waved her hand towards him.

Slowly crawling forwards he lay down beside Ace as his arm wrapped around his shoulders. A small hiccup sprung from his lips and he buried his face into his shoulder. Ace's warmth flowed over him reminding him that he was alive. Ace was alive and safe.

"The shadow didn't take you." Luffy whispered as a tear broke his barriers and rolled down his cheeks.

"No, Luffy. The shadows didn't win." Ace held back his own tears as he clutched his brother to his chest. "The shadow will never win against the four of us."

The last few days had been agonising for him. Every time he fell into the darkness all he could see was that monster of a man stalking towards his brother. He could see the pure fear that radiated in Luffy's eyes as he was being hunted. He had only ever seen Luffy that afraid once before, and that was the time aboard the slavers ship when he was first dragged away to be tortured. He had promised himself that he would never make his brother that scared again. But Teach made him break that promise.

Teach would pay for what he's done.

"Ace," he blinked back his tears and looked at Sabo and Flick who were both clutching at his arm and leg. They all needed to be touching right now. They each needed to know they were alright. His eyes ran over both his siblings and catalogued their various places covered in bandages. Sabo looked the least mummified, but he had heard from Marco that he basically drowned saving Luffy from the water. His lungs had taken a serious hit with all that water he had swallowed. Luffy's lungs had bounced back with help from his powers, but Sabo will take a few weeks to fully recover.

Flick was covered in bandages much like his own, across her stomach and shoulder and then a few patches over her forehead and cheek. She was bruised and battered just like he was. His eyes rested on his brother in his arms who looked the best out of the four of them. He supposed his devil fruit power was helping with his speedy recovery. Both of their fruits were helping.

He glanced over to his roommate and felt his heart drop further. Not everyone was healing quickly.

"Octavia."

Her hand snapped over to the other side of the room and she felt her lip tremble. She could see him. She could hear him.

"Thatch." She wanted to go to him. She needed to see him.

"Princess," Thatch held out his hand to her and she felt her tears roll down her cheeks. Sabo gently took her hand off of Ace's and steered her towards Thatch's bed.

"I'm okay Princess. I'm right here." Thatch was struggling with his own pain as she finally connected her hand into his. As soon as she connected she buried her face into his hand and let her tears fall.

"I'm right here. I'm right here Princess." He tried to calm her but her fears took over. He looked up at his brother and pleaded for him to bring her closer. Marco was quick to respond and gently placed her in his arms.

"No, no, no don't. I'll hurt you." Her voice shouted in fear but he quickly hushed and held her closer.

"I'm right here little turtle. You saved me. You all saved me." He spoke loud enough for the four of his brats to hear him.

"I love you Princess."

Sabo felt exhausted. He climbed onto the end of Ace's bed and leant against the back board and looked at his family. They had managed to turn Lia's strictly ten minute visit into a three hour long stay. There was nothing that was going to keep them apart now.

He let his head fall back against the wooden board and he sighed, he felt like such an old man right now, just looking across the room at his family of all ages alive, talking, and just being together. He had no idea what he would have done if he had lost any one of them this week.

He could just imagined the joys Lia's next therapy session was going to be after this event. Their recovery was just extended by another life time at that. It was just one thing after another with them. As soon as something good was happening, something twice as worse comes to try and rip it from them.

Fate was a cruel bitch.

He had heard and read that saying a thousand times in a thousand different ways, but those five words was all he needed to know. He wasn't much for believing in fate, or destiny. He believed that no one handed you anything in life, if you wanted something you had to work for it.

But no matter how hard he tried to work for freedom, or work for a safe life for his brothers and sister, fate came back and reminded him that she was there.

Izo had been watching over them for the last few days, and he knew that the three of them were confined to certain parts of the ship now. And they were too always be with a guardian. It just helped now that they were allowed visitation rights, because they weren't planning to go anywhere else on the ship until Ace was allowed to go with them.

"You look like crap." His eyes moved to his older brother and he rolled his in response. He felt like crap.

"Yeah, well you don't look so special yourself you know." He scoffed and shuffled his body down the bed until his head was on the bed.

"Have you even slept?" Ace prodded again.

"Not really." Sabo admitted. It had been eight days since that dreadful night. Eight days of not knowing, of not seeing his brother. For two of those nights he thought his brother was going to die. The not knowing was worse than he could ever imagine. And with Luffy being as silent as the grave and Flick being unresponsive during that time, he couldn't sleep. He swore he aged at least twenty years in that short week.

He needed someone to talk to, someone who understood his way of thinking, but Namur was injured. He had been poisoned. The poison had started to shut down his major organs one by one, until he would have died. If it hadn't been for Lia, he would have died. Teach had poisoned Namur as a distraction, the death of his guardian was merely used as a distraction. He was furious. He was beyond angry at the man who almost tore apart his entire reason for living. His family were his and no one else's.

"Close your eyes." He peeked at his brother and his hands shot up quickly to grab the flying pillow heading towards him. "Sleep. Stop worrying. We're fine." Ace ordered and he rolled his eyes again.

"I think I've earned the older brother role now." Sabo sighed pushing the pillow under his head.

"Not even close," Ace laughed lightly and kicked at his brother's leg that lay next to his.

"Don't ever do that again." Sabo ordered before following his orders and closed his eyes.

"You did good Sabo. You saved us." Sabo nodded his head happy to hear his brother's words. He felt Ace's leg still up against his own on top of the blanket that separated them both. Luffy still lay beside Ace with his eyes closed and a snot bubble coming out of his nose. They were alive. They were all safe now. His family was still complete.

"Love you," Sabo whispered before he drifted into his own dreams.

* * *

Thatch was in shock.

He thought he had accepted what had happened to them, to him. But he thought he should be different right now, he should be feeling different, or at least thinking differently. His life had been thrown off its rails and into unknown territory, he should be freaking out round about now. But he wasn't. He could feel his brother's eyes on him constantly, almost waiting for him to snap.

But it wasn't coming.

He could feel his girl in his arms and feel her warm breath on his chest.

Maybe it was her soft breath against his skin that kept him calm.

Calm enough to think rationally over everything that had happened and what will happen from this day forwards. Octavia, was the only thing that grounded him right now, was the only thing that kept him sane through these last few days. He stayed calm for her.

He honestly thought he wasn't going to make it out of that operating room.

He thought he was going to die.

And in that moment, he was content with dying if it meant saving Ace.

He had accepted it.

He had all but demanded to be sacrificed for Ace to be saved.

Ace's life was more important than his own. His head rolled over and he pressed his cheek into Octavia's long red locks and stared at the three sleeping boys in the bed next to him. He would gladly give his life a thousand times if it meant giving one of his brats a chance to live even for just a minute longer.

"Thatch."

His eyes roamed down and he hugged Flick closer to his chest as she moved in her sleep. He could see her legs toss in her sleep and rub up against his own beneath the confines of his white hospital blanket.

That was the key word though.

See.

He could see it happening and he knew that he should be feeling it, but he couldn't.

He couldn't feel anything below his waist.

Groaning he let his head fall back against the pillows as he looked at the plain white roof. He was paralysed from the waist down. He couldn't feel his legs, knees or toes. Not even so much as a wiggle from either of his limbs. The knife Teach stabbed him with was so deep it severed too many of his nerves. It wasn't a surprise, he barely felt anything after that moment.

"Are you in pain?" Lia was by his side instantly as she checked over the numerous machines behind his head.

"No, I can't feel anything." He spoke without emotion, it was true though, and he knew he should be in pain but he felt nothing. Since waking up he barely felt a thing. The only thing that caused him pain was his broken ribs. But that was a familiar injury for him, it wasn't anything knew to worry about.

"Try and sleep." Lia spoke but refused to look at him and he quickly grasped her hand.

"Lia," he forced her to stop and turn to actually look at him. He had been awake and coherent now for three days, and in those three days he noticed her avoidance. Not once had she looked at him in the eyes. She spoke to him, explained everything that happened during the surgeries he had but her eyes never reached his. He missed the smart mouth Lia who told him off for every action he did or comment he made. He missed her rolling her eyes when he winced or flinched at her man handling him. She was too calm, she was soft and gentle with him as though he was made from glass.

"Talk to me." He spoke not letting go of her hand as she tried to retreat.

"I need to check on-"

"That can wait. Sit down now." He spoke using a little more force than necessary. But he needed to do this, he needed to talk with her. With a small nod she pulled the nearest chair closer to his bed.

"Would you just look at me woman." He snapped and her eyes flashed to his. What he saw there made him freeze. Pain, regret, sorrow, guilt?

"I'm alive Lia. We are all alive and that is thanks to you." He spoke seeing that she wasn't going to be saying anything.

"I failed." Her voice was barely a whisper as her head dropped and her fringe blocked out her eyes. But he could see the silver trail of tears running down her cheeks.

"You did no such thing. You saved Ace. You saved him like you promised me, and you saved my life on top of tha-"

"I failed you." Her voice snapped and interrupted him.

"No, Lia-"

"You are paraplegic. You may never walk again Thatch. Don't you get it? I fucken failed you. I failed every person on board this ship. I failed those four brats who look up to you like some kind of god. And I let this happen!" She shouted pushing off the chair.

"Lia."

"No, don't you dare. Don't you dare, try to tell me otherwise. I know this is my fault and there is nothing anyone can say that will change that fact. Do you hear me! I failed everyone. I wasn't fucken good enough."

"It's not your fault."

All eyes snapped to a set of dark eyes that were filled with unshed tears. Thatch moved his arm as Octavia pushed herself to sit up, her eyes dripping with silent tears. Her pained eyes looked from him and then to Lia. She heard it all. She heard everything.

That was not how he wanted to break the news to her. He hadn't even thought about how he was going to broch the subject with any of the brats.

"Octavia," Lia's shouting died down immediately and she rushed to kneel in front of her.

"It's not your fault." Octavia tried to hold back her tears. She had never heard anything more devastating that those words that Lia had spoken. Thatch was hurt permanently. He may never walk again. Teach had hurt her guardian worse than she had imagined.

"It's not your fault." She repeated as Lia gripped her hands.

"I'm so sorry Octavia." Lia gasped. "I tried to-"

"No. It's not your fault. It's his, Lia. It's Teach's fault. He was the one that did this. He will be the one to pay for what he's done." She spoke firmly as a trail of tears rolled down her cheeks. But she did not sob, she did now wail. She was angry, no, she was furious.

Lia broke down and the sounds of her sobbing was enough to wake her brothers. They each looked at her with concern but she quickly shook her head. As much as her brothers would want to know what was happening, she didn't think she was brave enough yet to utter the words she had just discovered.

"Thank you for saving my brothers, and our guardians. Thank you for saving me." She whispered and gripped onto her hands as they squeezed hers. Lia saved them all. She saved each one of their lives.

Turning back to her guardian she could see his own tears freely falling. Thatch was hurt.

"I love you Thatch." She whispered remembering her guardian's final words he had spoken to her and moved to lay on his chest gentle. He pressed a kiss into her hair and held onto her with one arm as the other moved to hold onto Lia's hand.

"Love you Princess, always."

* * *

Ace was pissed. No Ace was furious. He thought in his life he knew what true hate was, he thought he knew what it felt like to want to destroy someone's very being, he thought he knew what it felt like to want to completely demolish another's name and their entire history of existence.

But he was wrong.

He never truly felt that emotion until now.

Teach would pay for what he's done to his family.

It had been two week since that dreadful night.

Two weeks of being confined to that infirmary with Thatch.

Thatch.

Every time he looked at his guardian he felt that rage boil up inside of him. Marco had sat with him on several occasions and reiterated his breathing and meditation exercises when his skin started to lick with flames.

The lot of them had yet to speak with Lia or Pops about that night. Lia stated that speaking about it straight away might cause more damage and they might give out wrong information. But there was one truth that every single person aboard the Moby Dick knew and understood.

Teach was a traitor.

Teach was a murderer and a thief.

Teach was a dishonourable pirate. He was now one of those pirates that the entire world feared. There was no loyalty amongst people within his line of piracy. They were only ever looking out for themselves and themselves only, they didn't care who got in their way.

Ace sat in his bed with his siblings surrounding him in their usual circle. Sabo had out his trusty notebook and they were going through the facts of that night. They were getting frustrated. They wanted Pops to send out every spare fleet he had to hunt down Teach, they wanted to see that man pay for his crimes and then some. They wanted to see Pops go full Whitebeard Yonko, on him and punish the man to the very depths of hell.

"Ace, you're making that face again." Octavia shoved at his shoulder and he snapped back to the book.

"Sorry." He whispered looking back to where they had left off. If Marco, or any of the other guardians were to find out they were doing this, they were sure to get into a heap worth of trouble. Their minds were fragile or something like that.

"That's when he threw me overboard." Luffy mumbled and started fumbling with his straw hat.

"Not your fault Lu, remember that." Ace wrapped his arm around his little brother and pulled him into his side. He had to admit to himself, seeing Luffy defenceless against that man when he was shot was one of the most terrifying moments of his life. He sat there unable to move a muscle and had to watch his brother fight for his life.

That was not something he ever wanted to repeat again. That reminded them that as soon as Lia gave them the all clear, it was back to training for all of them. They had a long way to go before they would be capable in a fight.

And he realised for himself it was a lot further than he thought, getting devil fruit abilities was one of the greatest things he had done in his life, but he never imagined that the effects of being shot with a single sea stone bullet was his Achilles heel.

"I was so scared." Octavia admitted looking at her brothers. This was the very first time they had spoken to each other about that night. This was truly the first time they were actually alone to do so. Thatch was off with Lia getting tests done and surprisingly all the guardians were busy doing something. Since the incident they had all been under careful watch, almost everyone was waiting for the moment they broke down. She didn't know who it was, but she was grateful for the small bit of alone time she had with her brothers.

"You disappeared so quickly and I didn't know if he actually shot you." She whispered and she grabbed Luffy's outstretched hand. She had never been more afraid in her life than in that moment. "And then you jumped in after him, you both just disappeared. I threw my shield out over and over but I couldn't find you." Sabo gripped her other hand tightly.

"He sank really quickly. To think if I was just a moment later." Sabo whispered looking at each of them. They all knew what he meant, if they were a fraction late to anything that happened that night. If Luffy didn't push her aside she would have gotten a bullet to the head, if Sabo jumped a fraction later Luffy would have drowned, if her nightmare didn't wake her up in that very moment, then who knows what would have happened to them all.

"It didn't though. We all acted the best that we could." Ace spoke firmly. "There wasn't much we could have changed, even if we wanted to go back and do it all over again. If we went for help when we first saw Thatch, or if you both went for help when you arrived. Thatch, Luffy and I would be dead. Teach would have shot us and left." Ace explained and each of them were a little shocked at his tactical thought path. "We did everything right. And we all came out alive so that's the best outcome."

"Not everyone is safe though," Sabo whispered looking at the empty bed in the corner.

"Thatch will be fine. He will walk again." Octavia spoke sharply.

"Flick, Lia said-"

"I know what she said and I refuse to believe it. Thatch will walk again. He is the strongest person I know in this world and he will continue to be the fourth division commander and one of the most feared Whitebeard Pirates in the world. He will walk again." She spoke firmly believing every single word she had spoken. There was a chance. A very slim, fraction, of a chance that he may walk again; but she would make sure he would.

"He will." Ace nodded.

"You're going to make me cry."

Each of their heads snapped across the room as Marco wheeled Thatch back into the room. Sabo subtly slid their book under Ace's pillow.

"Idiot." Marco slapped him lightly on the back of the head.

"How you feeling?" Octavia smiled at her guardian changing the subject instantly.

"Little sore, Lia's going to make me bruise I swear." He laughed.

"Good." She smirked and poked out her tongue at him. She was ecstatic to have her old guardian back to normal. He laughed and joked with her, it was just like the old times. But she could see everyone getting more worried as the days passed. This wasn't the normal reaction for someone who has just been told they may never walk again.

* * *

Sabo woke up feeling cold. Sitting up he noticed that their door was slightly open and the cold climate of the winter island they were travelling to, was drifting into their room. Wrapping his blanket around him tighter, he realised that the second person that had hopped into his bed that night was missing.

"Ace," he whispered into the night. He could see his brother holding a snoring Luffy to his chest but there was no sign of their sister.

"What?" he heard Ace's mumbled voice beneath Luffy's rubber face.

"Flick's missing." Those two words caused all of them to sit up quickly and scan the room. Sabo picked up the candle from their nightstand and glanced around the room. He swung his legs off his bed and when he pushed off he felt paper beneath his hand.

"She's fine, she's up at her mast." He read the note and felt his heart slow back down to a normal pace. He would have to thank his sister for well-placed note. There was no need for a full blown panic when they no doubt caused havoc through the halls.

Slipping out of their room the three of them walked towards the deck. As soon as they stepped out onto the darkened deck they noticed the small shimmer of light flicker from all over the place.

They watched and waited for Octavia to finish with her training.

Sabo was anxious. From the moment they heard about the truth about Thatch he knew that everyone was going to be majorly effected by it. Most of all Thatch, but for each of them he worried. When he woke up and Flick was gone he knew that something wasn't right. She had been calm for the last few days after discovering the truth. She had not cried, she had not screamed. She stayed by Thatch's side and was there for him when he needed to be moved somewhere or if he needed a refill of his drink or food.

She tended to his every need and had her usual smile on her face. She acted as though he was merely sick with the flu in his bed. Not that he had been attacked and paralysed by a man who was thought to be family to everyone on board. He knew it was only a matter of time before she broke down and released the pent up rage that they were all feeling.

"Dammit," she cursed feeling her muscles shake as she landed at her final post. Her arms immediately dropped the set of weights she had started to carry with each of her flickers. She had to grow stronger quicker. She had to train herself to carry others when she flickered. She would never be caught out like she was that night. She would be able to save her friends from danger with just a touch of her hand.

"Flick."

Her head snapped up and she saw her brothers walking towards her. Sighing she slid her back down against the mast and let her elbows hang over her knees, she was exhausted.

"Hey," she panted and watched as they sat around her in their usual circle. "You got my note?" she directed to Sabo.

"Yes, thank you." He smiled to her and she was thankful for the last minute thinking to write that note.

"What are you doing out here?" Luffy whispered getting straight to the point. "Why are you flickering with these?" he pointed to the heavy weights he had seen in their training rooms.

"I need to get stronger. These help." She picked one up and instantly she could feel her weightless arms tremble at the weight. Maybe she had overdone it tonight with the extra weights.

"No more for tonight, you need to balance yourself out." Ace spoke looking back and forth between the weights and herself.

"You're not going to tell me off for training at night again are you?" she spoke a little shocked that she was getting yelled at again. Not for training at night, no Ace never had a problem with that unlike Sabo, he was almost more upset that she didn't wake him to come train as well.

"We all need to get stronger now more than ever." Ace nodded and picked up a weight. He was surprised at the level of weights she had started at. "We should all be trying to get stronger." He nodded looking at his brothers.

"We can make a plan. I'll write up a schedule to make sure we don't miss out on anything important or overtrain on certain parts." Sabo added starting to think of all the things he wanted to improve on himself. Lately he had spent so much time with Namur learning both the mental knowledge of the grand line and the new world he forgot to continue with his physical side. He was stronger now than he had ever been before in his entire life, but he couldn't stop now.

He had been pathetic against Teach. He was on the defence the entire time he had with the man, and then he was in the water trying to save Luffy from drowning. If he was faster, if he was stronger he may have been able to prevent any of that from happening.

"You approve of night training?" Flick asked him in shock.

"Yes." He answered firmly.

"I want to get stronger too. I want to be the strongest person ever, so that no one can ever hurt anyone I care about again." Luffy crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head repetitively. He was adamant that he would get stronger.

"We all will Luffy. Together we will get stronger." Ace flicked the straw hat off his head and ruffled his long hair. First thing in the morning he was going to get Izo to give him a haircut. He could barely see out of his eyes with his hair growing in his face.

There was a long silence between the four of them as they each started to think of ways they wanted to improve and ideas they had to grow stronger. They were each interrupted by a loud bark in the night.

Four heads snapped up and they saw Whitebeard sitting in his chair with Ghost sitting obediently by his feet. They didn't even know he was there.

"Papa," Octavia whispered while hurrying to get to her feet. She was nervous now. She had no idea how long he had been sitting there, was he there through her training session, or if he had heard their entire conversation. The four of them stood up side by side and faced off their father.

"Come here," he spoke with and ushered them closer towards him. They each stepped forwards but didn't dare look at each other.

"You can't stop us from training." Ace spoke out first.

"Ace." The three of them gasped looking at their older brother.

"You four wish to get stronger?" Whitebeard asked not caring for a second at Ace's outburst.

"Yes." They each answered together.

"You each feel responsible for what happened that night?" he asked and they didn't hesitate as they nodded. Each of them had been thinking over and over about what had happened that night and roles they played.

"I know what you're going to say," Sabo interjected seeing the large man begin to talk, "that it wasn't our fault and that we couldn't have done anything differently to alter the outcome and we know that. We each know that what we did at the time was the best decision. But that doesn't stop us from feeling guilty. I believe in when I say that every single person aboard this ship feels a fraction bit of guilt about what happened. It's natural to do so as well, everyone effected by this will start to think of the what if's? What if they swapped night watch shifts, what if they mentioned something suspicious beforehand, what if they had searched the deck as soon as the warnings went off? But in the end, no one can change what happened, we can only learn from it. So we will get stronger, we will take all the help we can get from our family but we will get stronger." Sabo looked up at the man he saw as his personal hero, a man who was the exact meaning of honourable.

Whitebeard stared down at the four brats and felt his smile turn into a slight frown. Barely even to be called teenagers yet and here they were making decisions not even the toughest of men could make. Sabo was thinking like an old man who had lived a ten lifetimes. They were not kids any longer, no matter how much he wanted to give them a childhood and a brighter upbringing, he could not. He could no longer ignore everything that was happening around these four children. His four children.

"Then you shall get stronger." He spoke and smiled seeing four very surprised faces. "Now go back to bed, come to my office after breakfast tomorrow. No sooner." He ordered and watched as they looked at each other and then back to him confusingly.

"We will be discussing your new training schedules come the morning. Think about what you would like to work on and I will put it forth to your guardians." He chuckled at calling his commanding officers, guardians.

"Really?" Luffy spoke up first looking up at him with his wide bright eyes. How anyone could hurt such a precious child was beyond him.

"Yes young one. We will come up with plenty of diverse training regimes to train you in all areas. Offence, defence, tactical, whatever it is you wish and then some mandatory areas that I feel are necessary." He laughed at the confused boys face.

"We're training hard Luffy." Sabo laughed and saw his brother's face lighten up with acceptance.

"Good. Now time for dinner." Luffy turned to head towards the galley.

"Idiot we already had dinner!" Ace called grabbing the edge of his vest.

"Midnight snack then." Luffy slipped expertly from his vest and ran towards the galley.

"I'll get him." Flick laughed and quickly turned around and trapped Luffy in her shield.

"No fair!" Luffy sulked in the middle of her bubble with his arms crossed over his chest and an angry pout on his face.

"You best train hard if you wish to sneak in a midnight snack my boy." Whitebeard laughed loudly causing Luffy to grumble loudly.

"Now off to bed with you lot." He reminded them and gave Ghost a small command to follow them to their rooms.

"Good night Pops," Ace retrieved Luffy from his prison and threw him over his shoulder. It was much easier on everyone if someone had a physical hold on their youngest brother.

"Good night my sons." Whitebeard looked at the three retreating boys who glanced back once at their sister. With a small wave she told them to go on ahead without her. Ghost stopped in his tracks and moved back to her side.

"Hey buddy," she smiled and pet her little friends head. Who wasn't so much of a little friend any more. He was almost fully grown and was at her height now. He was definitely part wolf.

"You should head to bed too," her father spoke and she looked back at him. She had barely spoken to her father in the last few days. He made sure she was alright and would always greet her good morning and good night, but there wasn't much free time in between. She understood though, he had so much to do right now and sitting to talk with her and her brothers was not on the top of the priority list. For now, all that mattered that they were alive and safe.

"I will kill him." She looked up to her father and spoke the words that was plaguing her every waking and sleeping moment.

"Octavia," her father sighed and held out his hand for her to go to him.

"No Papa, I will kill Teach. Not today, not tomorrow, and maybe not in the next five years. But I will kill him. I will make him pay for everything he's done. To Thatch, to you and to our family." She spoke firmly. She didn't care if he forbid her to go after the man or even plot at the numerous ways to destroy him. She would do it.

"There is no one who wants to see that man punished for his crimes. I will not forbid you to go after him one day. But while you are still my daughter and a part of this crew you will not set out until I feel you are ready. Now don't start," he pointed a finger to her as she was about to rebuttal, "this is an order I have placed on every member of the Whitebeard crew and those who are strongly allied with us. No one is to go after Teach until we know more about him and his plans."

She thought about what he said and nodded. He wasn't completely forbidding her, he was telling her she had to wait. But that was fine with her, for now she needed the time to train. She needed every second she could get to get stronger. She would show the entire world exactly who she was and what would happen if they touched someone she loved.

No one messes with her family.

No one messes with her guardians.

No one messes with the Whitebeard Wolfpack.

* * *

_**"A woman must not depend on the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself."**_

* * *

**Sooo what did you think? I hope your all happy, I did not Kill of Thatch. I could not, and you probably all knew it too but yes. He is my lovable big brother :p  
**

**Time for a path of revenge! **

**Thanks to: Rinslayer, RavenRunning, Guest, GoldenMelon, Yayoi Tsukikage, futago No AKuma Shimai, Reagan brie, Aura Law, Tonbotomoe, AnimeFan 972, Guest 2, Goldspark, Liltnightmare17, Silver Hydrangea, Agent DJ **eeep so much love :d xx

**Note - We are getting VERY VERY close to the end of this story. There will be a Sequel which will begin when Luffy ventures off on his own at the age of 16. :) The straw hats will be formed but the Wolfpack will always be around ;) **


	32. Chapter 32 - Island of change

**Hi there everyone, well I must say the last few weeks had def showed me love :D Thanks to everyone for you support and reviews :D**

* * *

_**"We do not suffer from the shock of our trauma, but we make out of it just what suits our purposes."**_

* * *

"Island, island, island – there's an island," Luffy sang to himself as he sat on top of his favourite spot, swinging his legs back and forth in the wind. His hand was perched on top of his hat as the wind threatened to blow it away. A smile donned upon his face as he imagined the adventures he was going to have on the new island that he could see coming closer and closer. It felt like forever since the last time they were allowed to step foot on a new island. But Pops had told them that this island was under his command so they were free to explore it as much as they wanted too.

"Are you excited brat?" Whitebeard spoke from behind the railing.

"Yep," Luffy grinned back at the giant captain, "I want to try all the different kinds of meat they have. Do you think they will have crocodile meat? I haven't had that in forever." He gasped, letting his body fall back dramatically and he looked up at the sky. It had felt like forever since he was allowed to do anything different, and he was getting bored of doing the same things over and over for the last month. He was excited to be able to explore alone with his brothers and Flick, without the constant supervision of the guardians.

They were officially in the safe zone now. Whatever that meant.

"This island is filled with all different kinds of wild animals, I'm sure there will be some crocodiles here." Whitebeard laughed loudly.

"Papa," Octavia called, appearing out of thin air and landed on the captain's shoulder.

"Good morning my daughter," her father spoke with a smile directed to her. She gripped his shoulder and bent forwards placing a kiss on his cheek. A loud bark broke through and they looked down to see Ghost sitting obediently beside the captain. "And good morning to you too, Ghost," Whitebeard laughed and pet the large dogs head.

"Morning Papa," she grinned and waved to her little brother. She was excited - almost to the point of being on par with Luffy's level – because today they were going to be exploring a brand new island without any chance of being targeted by outsiders – or so they were told. This island was known to everyone in the entire world that it was run by the Whitebeard Pirates and everyone knew what the consequences where, if they disturbed the peace on one of his islands.

"You are looking lovely this morning my dear," he spoke looking at her newly designed shorts and top from Izo. The large Whitebeard insignia was strategically placed on the very front of her left thigh and the back of her white tank. She grinned enjoying the mark displayed for everyone to see. She was proud to be wearing his mark.

"Thanks Papa," she grinned, "I'm a Whitebeard pirate, and now everyone who looks at me will know that." She beamed widely. She was also excited that she wouldn't be forced to wear her hooded cloak today, the island was safe for her. She heard a chuckle behind her and she glanced back to see Marco walking towards her.

"A little Whitebeard Pirate, but a pirate none the less," Marco laughed, ruffling her lose hair.

Growling, she dodged any further attempts at her guardian ruining her hair and flickered from her spot to stand next to Luffy on the large whales head. Ghost quickly moved from his stationed position and jumped onto the large figurehead and sat down behind them both almost protecting them in case they were to slip and fall. She placed her hand in his fur and gave him a quick scratch behind the ear. He was a smart dog, or wolf.

"Where are your brothers?" Marco asked directing to her.

"They're still getting changed," she sighed not really wanting to think back to the arguments between Ace and Izo for a single moment longer. See had managed to sneak away with the help of Ghost this morning after she was dressed, she was not going to be dragged into another argument with those two.

"Ace still refusing to wear shirts?" Marco smirked.

"Yep, he claims he gets too hot in them," she explained to her father who gave her a questioning look, "he's just trying to show off his new boy muscles." She rolled her eyes. Ever since his training was kicked up a notch and his weight was back to what Lyon deemed a healthy level he was now forming muscles and he was more than prepared to show everyone who looked his way how strong he was getting.

"Ace want's his tattoo on his chest that's why he's showing off," Luffy jumped in next to her and her eyes widened.

"Luffy!" she scolded waking him lightly on the back of the head.

"Whoops, forget I said anything. I didn't say anything about Ace getting a tattoo, nope, you didn't hear anything from me." Luffy grinned and she swore she saw everyone shake their heads a little. Luffy was beyond a doubt the worst liar in the entire world.

"He will not be getting a tattoo until he is at least eighteen years old," Marco ordered crossing his arms over his chest.

"Can I get a tattoo?" Luffy counted, raising his hand in the air.

"Do you want to get a tattoo?" she asked him with her eyebrow raised. This was the first moment she heard Luffy even mention the prospect of getting a tattoo. Their entire secret conversation about getting Whitebeard's mark was about the three of them, Luffy purely kept quite not even opting to say yes or no to wanting one.

"Nope." He grinned, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Can I have meat instead of a tattoo?" he smiled up at her with his famous puppy dog eyes.

"No, and I see what you were doing there too, mister," she laughed pulling him down to sit in her lap, "you eat way too much meat as it is."

"Stop pulling on it," Sabo's voice broke through their giggling, "you look fine."

"This is stupid. I don't wear collars and I definitely do not wear shirts." Ace appeared tugging on his collared shirt that he was obviously forced into wearing. "How can anyone even move in this thing let alone fight?"

"You won't be getting into any fights today so that is not a problem," Izo's voice carried after them as they grew closer towards them.

As soon as they walked closer towards them, they could clearly see Ace wearing a pair of jean shorts that were longer than the ones she was wearing, and a blue stripped shirt with a fancy collar on the neck. Sabo was walking beside him trying to tug Ace's arms away from completely destroying the shirt before they even left the ship. He was wearing a shirt much like Ace's, however it looked natural on him. Izo shadowed behind the both of them with a triumphant smile on his face, clearly he had won the battle of Ace wearing a shirt out onto the island argument.

Ace growled at Sabo one last time after his hands were yanked away from the offending material choking him when he stopped and looked at his sister. His face went from frustrated to pure rage.

"Why the hell do you get to wear a tank top and I have to wear this stupid thing!" Ace shouted, pointing at her in her very cool summery top.

"Language," Marco interrupted and wacked him on the back of the head.

"Because I'm the favourite," she responded by poking her tongue out at him, "obviously."

"Kiss ass," Ace mumbled under his breath and dodged the next blow he was about to receive from his guardian. There was a sudden rock of the ship as the Moby Dick was docked ashore.

"Let's go!" Luffy shouted grabbing his sisters hand and leaped from their spot and down onto the deck.

"Stop." Marco called out and held up his hand, halting the four of them almost mid-air ready to jump off the ship, "Recite the first rule, Ace?" he spoke looking at them. With a sigh they stood next to each other in front of both Marco and Whitebeard like little soldiers being scolded, even Ghost took his position at the end of the line.

"Don't steal anything," Ace rolled his eyes and looked to Sabo who was standing next to him to follow with the stupid routine. They had done this same thing over and over again it was getting ridiculous.

"Don't start any fights," Sabo recited not enjoying that he was tasked to voice the one rule he was no way the perpetrator who broke that rule, "not like we can't win them anyway." He whispered under his breath earning a smirk from his older brother.

"Don't talk to strangers," Luffy grinned earning a satisfactory nod from his guardian.

"Don't mention our names to anyone," Octavia sighed to herself, at least she was allowed to walk about without having to hide herself this time around. All four of them looked down to the last one in their small line to Ghost who was sat next to her. He barked in reply when it was his own turn, causing everyone to smile.

"Good, and what do you do if you need help?" Marco asked looking at Ace.

"Throw three attacks into the sky," Ace finished with a roll of his eyes, "seriously can't you trust us to be on our own for one day?" he glared looking at his guardian.

"No," Marco answered sharply and then looked to Pops who was laughing.

"Have fun brats," Whitebeard announced and with that small signal they disappeared from the deck.

"Thanks Papa," Octavia called as she landed the four of them onto the wooden dock.

"Are you sure they're going to be alright," Marco asked, turning to look at his father, "it has only been six weeks since the attack."

"They will be fine my son, they need this time together now more than anything." Whitebeard replied looking out at the four brats running along the pier and into the forest with their guardian wolf at their heels.

* * *

"How about that one? It has Pops mark in the window." Sabo pointed out as they walked through the village. They had walked past a dozen different places to eat and Luffy had begged to go into each one of them and eat lunch. But Ace looked at the crowd in each one of the dining rooms and passed on each of them. Even though they were on one of Pops' islands, it didn't stop Ace from worry about what kinds of people might be sitting in there.

The Whitebeard Pirates may have accepted him for who he was, but that wasn't to say that others would and he wasn't going to be taking the chance on that especially with explicit orders not get into any sorts of fights.

"Looks good." Octavia looked inside and saw a few of the whitebeard pirates in the dining room. Even though they weren't some of the commanders, they were still a part of their whitebeard family. They wouldn't let anything happen to them if something was too happen – not that they couldn't take care of themselves.

"Here," Sabo pointed out a table in the back corner that had a clear view of whoever was to enter and exit the restaurant, while the others had a full view of the rest of the dining area. He was always taught to observe his surroundings, and if he had learnt anything over the last couple of weeks, it was, no matter how safe you think you are, there are always dangers lurking in the shadows just watching and waiting for the right moment. He never wanted to be caught unprepared again.

"Meat, meat, meat, meat," Luffy sang as he grabbed the nearest menu off the table.

"Afternoon, what can I get you?" a boy appeared holding onto a notepad. Ace watched the boy and how his eyes lingered a little too long on his sister for his liking. He knew she was pretty, and he knew that he dark red locks were something out of a story, not something that these common people saw every day.

"Hey there," the boy turned his body so he was only facing his sister. What was worse was he saw a slight blush reach his sister's cheeks. Quickly he cleared his throat and caught the chore boy's attention. The boy's eyes locked with his and he swore he saw the boy flinch under his gaze.

"Four rounds of meat and water." Ace spoke not even needing to look at the menu or ask what kinds of drinks were on offer. This was what they all wanted so there was no point in wasting more time here than necessary.

"Was that really necessary," Flick sighed looking at him.

"What?" he questioned.

"He's literally out there shitting his pants. The temperature in the room just went up twenty degrees in an instant and I'm pretty sure I can see steam appearing off your shoulders." She gestured in his direction. "We finally found a place to eat, please don't get us kicked out or force us into a fight." She sighed, letting her chin fall into her palms as she rested her elbows onto the table. Her brothers were always so dramatic and complicated.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He smirked and placed his arms over the back of his chair and behind Luffy's who was watching the two of them like a game. "He was like thirty anyway that's just gross."

"He was your age and seriously?" she looked to Sabo who had conveniently kept quiet through the whole exchange, "Sabo can you please do something to control your brother," she shot Ace a glare before pleading to her only other sane brother.

"You drank that sake voluntarily, you need to deal with, and accept the consequences of your actions including; protective, overbearing - older brothers." Sabo laughed and earned an approval nod from Ace.

"You're useless." She sighed and let her forehead drop onto the table with a thud. She was destined to be with these boys for the rest of her life. She hated to think of when she was actually old enough to date and what her brothers would think of her even liking a boy.

She wished Thatch was here with her. Sighing she remembered talking to him while having a private breakfast with him this morning. It had been hard for every one of the last few weeks but she loved her guardian more than anything in the world, and he was so strong. He adapted to using his wheelchair quicker than she thought anyone else could. She supposed having her flicker him up and down the staircases helped a lot.

For a very long time she had been handicapped in a way that was against her will. She had been blinded by those monsters and locked in a cage where she wasn't able to do anything but starve and fight for the chance to live another day. She saw her guardian in a whole new level of respect for what he was going through. They had both gone through something very similar.

And just like he had done for her, she will help him settle into this new way of living and she will do whatever it takes to get him to walk again.

"He was staring at her like a piece of meat." Ace grumbled still going on about the previous encounter with the waiter boy. She rolled her eyes and continued to ignore the conversation, no matter what he said she would not engage in his rant knowing it would only cause more drama for herself.

"I'm so going to tell Thatch when we get back. He's going to kick that boy's ass for even thinking of looking at you." Ace rambled on and suddenly she second guessed herself. There was no one in the all the seas would she ever want Thatch to witness something even remotely along those lines.

"Yay, meat." Luffy announced the arrival of their food and she didn't dare look up at the boy who dropped the plates down in front of them. She had enough of Ace's protectiveness for one day, she was not going to be giving him anything else to go all mother hen on her. She mentally thanked Luffy for the distraction and she knew Ace would now be occupied by his food.

Once the coast was clear she lifted her head and began to pick at her food, she knew if she didn't start eating at it than Luffy would think it was up for grabs and help himself to whatever he could see.

The meal went by without any further hassles on any of their behalves, which both Octavia and Ace were grateful for. Pushing out from their table, Sabo counted out the correct money for their meals and they left the restaurant before anything else could happen.

"What do you want to do now?" Sabo asked, looking down at the remainder of the money they had in the small bag Marco had given to him to be reasonable for.

"Food?" Luffy suggestion was quickly shut down.

"Weapons?" Ace suggested, pointing to a weaponry down the end of the road. With a shrug they all walked towards the shop that they knew they would be able to spend hours in.

"It's huge," Octavia gaped, looking at the building that looked like three stores all joined together in the one. Stepping into the store she could see the different rows of weapons on one side and then articles of protective clothing down the other. This store was a dream for them, it had everything.

"Luffy don't run off," she called quickly ditching her brother's and running after her youngest brother before he could do anything that would cause them to be kicked out or worse, waste all their leftover money on something that he broke by accidently playing with it.

"Look Flick, I'm a soldier." She turned the last corner and groaned seeing Luffy marching back and forth with a metal soldier's helmet on his head.

"How the hell did you get that on so quick?" she sighed quickly yanking it off his head as he play marched in front of her.

"I dunno," he grinned before his attention was caught at the next shiny thing. Instinctively she grabbed his hand and tugged him through the rows of blades. Her eyes widened in delight at the attractiveness of the blades, they were all each designed so differently yet each one seemed to tell a different tale of who might have owned it before it ended up in this store. Her hand glided over to a small blade that had a wolves head on the end of it.

She looked outside of the store and saw Ghost standing protectively at the entranceway, it was exactly like him. Ever since the attack he had barely left her and her brothers' sides. She didn't know if animals could feel guilt, but she swore that was the feeling her friend was displaying.

"That's so cool." Luffy beamed looking at the blade. She held onto his hand tighter as she felt him begin to reach for the shiny object. There was no way she was going to let her little brother handle a blade in a shop.

"Not today." She tugged on his hand and walked them further down the aisles until they found their brothers', she wanted help watching their youngest brother. She found them over in the clothes section and that was when she froze on her spot.

"Holy shit," she gaped, staring at the displayed outfit that was on top of a bookshelf against the back wall. It was a hooded cloak. Something she could almost envision herself wearing.

It wasn't as long as the others her guardians had forced her into wearing for her protection. This one was designed purely with the intent to conceal someone's identity but it did not prevent the wearer for being in a battle. The hem of the cloak ended somewhere around her waist she assumed. Strapped onto the legs of the manikin were leather straps that held several blades and holsters, but for her she could see a single blade and a crossbow or two. Her bow would sit across her back with her quiff resting behind her shoulders.

She would look fierce.

She would look dangerous.

"-Flick."

Her eyes snapped to her brothers who were standing in front of her with knowing looks. Sabo had his hands on her shoulders and was the one who was speaking to her.

"Do you want-" Sabo tried to ask but she quickly cut him off.

"No it's fine, it's too expensive anyway." She quickly dismissed the idea of buying the beautiful garment and turned around and headed to the exit of the store. She knew it wouldn't be cheap, and it definitely would not equal to the few coins that they had left in Sabo's pouch. Nothing that looked that good would be cheap.

"Flick wait, we should at least ask how much it is," Ace called out running after her.

"It's not that great anyways." She dismissed him and exited the store, even though she secretly yearned for that outfit she knew that she could have it. Besides, Izo's clothes were always better anyways, maybe she would be able to describe it to her favourite stylist and see if he was able to recreate it for her.

"Maybe Izo can make you one?" Sabo voiced her own thoughts and she nodded.

"He's the best at making anything." Ace reiterated.

Ghost was walking next to her as they made their way from the store and back towards the centre of town. She fought with everything in her to stop herself from glancing back at the store even for a second glimpse at the outfit.

"Sabo?" Ace mumbled as he stopped and looked back at his brother who stopped walking. She stopped looked back to Sabo who was glancing back from the way they came and towards the store that was far down at the end of the street.

"Where's Luffy?" Sabo asked. The three of them looked at each other with anguish. How could they forget something that was so bright and loud?

"Fuck," Ace took off back towards the store, "wait is that him?"

"Run!" Luffy yelled out in a laugh as he came sprinting towards them down the road.

"What is he doing?" Sabo asked almost squinting to see what he was carrying.

"Idiot's being chased." Ace moved into a defensive position ready for whatever was about to come for them. Ghost crouched down next to Ace ready to back him up.

"He's carrying something?" Sabo spoke still not able to make out what their little brother was doing.

"I think I know what he did." Octavia mumbled, making out the colour of the material he was holding over his head like a trophy, "he stole it." She gasped instantly recognising the trouble they were truly in now.

"Stay and Marco finds out and we will never be allowed out alone again," Sabo quickly threw out their options, "run and we possibly get away without the guardians ever knowing about it." He looked at his two siblings.

"Run." They both spoke in unison not wanting to dare face the wrath of Marco if he found out they broke his designed rules.

"Flick get us out of here," Ace moved beside his sister who was already pushing her hands out towards Luffy as he ran closer towards them.

"No, if they see us disappear, rumours will be spread of four kids and a wolf who just magically disappeared right in front of their eyes. We need to lose them first." Sabo instructed quickly seeing the flaws in their standard get away plan. "No powers." He commanded for the four of them to hear.

"Well run!" Flick called out and quickly bolted in the opposite direction. They ran through the busy streets of the village and the centre of the town. Ace had tugged Luffy in between himself and Sabo as they ran through the crowd dodging and moving as though they weren't even there.

"Who would have guessed that Marco's drill training would make this so easy," Ace laughed as they escaped through the masses of the crowd without being seen. Their height probably added to their camouflage, but that was only a small help.

"Please don't ever tell him that," Flick laughed along with him as they made their way out of the town and towards the forest edge. Glancing around, she noticed the absence of the men chasing them down.

"Now," she called to her brothers as they turned the next corner and saw the street was empty. It was the perfect time. Sabo placed his hand on her shoulder and prepared for the feeling of being ripped from the very spot he was standing on to another. She bent down slightly and placed her hand on Ghost's back as he stood guard in front of them.

"Luffy!" She called out and saw his arm stretch out towards her awaiting hand. They all knew what was happening, and their exact plan on how to escape. She glanced around and saw her targeted location. They were going to get into the forest and hide. That as their only chance of escaping without running into their family pirates.

The moment Luffy's hand connected with hers she flickered them from their spot and away from the street and into the first large tree she could see. She wrapped her shield around the four of them as she flickered them from tree to tree, disappearing further and further into the forest. After the fourth flicker she had to stop, that was the limit to her powers especially carrying three other pieces of cargo. She had a limit, a limit that she hated and was more determined than ever to break it.

"Let's keep going," Sabo sighed as they landed on the forest ground and headed in deeper. As soon as they were far enough in he could just imagine the yelling that was going to happen between Ace and Luffy.

Octavia was sitting down at the small embankment of the river they had found deep within the forest and far enough away from anyone hearing the argument between her brothers. Ghost sat next to her as she tugged off her shoes and placed her feet into the warm stream. She sighed in content as the water seemed to wash away the small aches in her feet from all that walking, it had been a very long time since she had walked so freely around anywhere. The Moby Dick was an especially large ship, but there was only so many places she could walk to before she got bored.

Training was good for her in a number of ways, but there was something about just walking around for hours through villages and a forest that seemed to remind her how physical unfit she still was. Wearing Izo's ridiculously shiny pointy shoes was not helping her in the slightest either.

"Alright cut it out," she yelled out and fell backwards onto her back. Ghost was lying beside her with his head pressed firmly on her stomach. She could almost hear his growl in agreement as he closed his eyes and finally relaxed. "What's done is done." She closed her eyes and let her hands run through Ghosts fur as he slept on her.

"Just because you got an outfit out of it!" Ace yelled but she could hear it in his voice that he wasn't all that upset. Peeking one eye open she looked to her older brother who was actually looking a little excited.

"Don't do it again Luffy," Ace ruffled Luffy's hair and he beamed at his big brother. To anyone else it would look like Ace was done yelling some sense into his younger brother about being reckless and stupid, however for those who actually listened to the words that Ace yelled, they would hear that it wasn't that at all.

"You're proud of him aren't you?" Sabo accused pointing at Ace, seeing right through his little façade, "you were proud of him for stealing those clothes and that blade."

"We're pirates." Ace smirked and sunk down next to her with a grin on his smug face

"If Marco finds out were doomed you know that right?" Sabo tried again to knock some sense into his siblings.

"If Marco finds out," Luffy added grinning.

"Seriously?" Sabo groaned before joining them on the ground and lay down on his back and stared at the sky.

"Here you go Flick, happy birthday." Luffy threw himself at his sister and landed on her stomach.

"Dammit Luffy, you're fat." She laughed feeling the weight land on her stomach. "And it's not my birthday," she laughed.

"That's mean, but I don't care it's a present." Luffy pouted and crossed his arms around the bundle of treasure he had stolen, "here." He pushed the bundle of martial towards his sister and plastered a grin on his face.

"Thank you Luffy," she whispered and pulled him into a hug. She didn't even unravel the bundle as she thanked her brother. She knew what it was, hell they all knew exactly what it was that her brother stole for her. "But next time we don't steal things okay," she reprimanded him but with the look on his face, she knew it went in one ear and out the other.

"I didn't steal it though. I told that man I'd repay him with some pirates treasure when I was the king of the pirates." Luffy sat up and grinned. He knew stealing was wrong so he always promised to pay people back, just like Makino back home. He owed her a huge pile of treasure for all the food she had fed him and the clothes she made for him too.

"We're doomed." Sabo pulled his arms over his face and groaned. There was no way they were getting away with this now. One mention of those words and every single Whitebeard pirate would know it was them that committed the crime.

"How many training sessions do you think Marco will make us do?" Ace asked looking at his brother.

"Oh god I can already feel my legs ache," Sabo responded with a laugh. "We could take it back and apologise?"

"No, it's mine." Flick yelled, hugging her present to her chest.

"Yeah, at least you're going to get something out of this punishment we will all be receiving." Ace rolled his eyes at his sister.

"If we get caught, I'll make you cupcakes with extra icing for a month." She bargained and Ace took not a second longer to nod.

"Done, and they better be for me only. I'm not sharing them with anyone." He spoke, laying out the details to their quick agreement.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes, she knew the perfect ways to get her brothers to agree with her, two out of the three of her brothers could be bribed with a simple thing of food. Now Sabo however was a completely different story, he was smart and calculating.

"And me Flick?" Sabo asked almost seeing where her mind was going.

"Name your price sir," she smiled at her brother.

"One month of taking Luffy's bathing time." Sabo smirked at her horrified expression.

"A week." She counted.

"Two weeks and that's my final offer." Sabo spoke firmly, this was more than fair on his behalf. There wasn't a single person on the ship that liked taking Luffy's bathing duties. There were more than one occasion where Luffy would be seen running around the deck in his underpants laughing.

"You're a monster. Remember this is only, if, we get caught." She sighed but nodded. If this was the only way she could keep her brothers off her case and keep her newly acquired outfit than it was a very small price to pay.

"I don't think we should go into town again." Ace mumbled breaking the negations.

"No," they both answered and Luffy just laughed.

"But I'm hungry." Luffy spoke looking up at his older siblings with his famous eyes. Sighing they both pushed off their backs and to their feet.

"Let's find some meat." Ace grinned and turned his fist into a ball of flame.

* * *

Thatch sat in his chair that was now his new home. He was sitting in a small bar with his brothers around him all drinking and stuffing their faces. A few of his brothers were off in the shadows of the room trying to flirt with anything with boobs that walked their way.

He clutched onto the cold beverage in his hands and sighed. It had been a very long few weeks that led up to the point where he was now. He was completely healed now from the injuries he had received, his ribs were back to normal and his scars were all but scabs left to finally fall off and disappear.

But he was still stuck in the chair. He couldn't feel anything below his waist. Life in his new chair wasn't as miserable as he thought it would be though. It probably helped that Flick could flicker him up and down the decks of the ship and he could still do his basic personal things like shower and go to the bathroom. He wasn't a complete vegetable.

He looked over to his loud and cheerful brothers and smiled. They needed this more than anything. The last few weeks had been depressing aboard the ship. Every glance between brethren held a hidden bit of doubt and suspicion. Who was next to betray them?

But now as he stared at them all drunk off their heads with smiles on their faces he knew that they would be alright, everything would get back to normal sooner than later. But for him, this was now his new normal.

"Thatch," a soft voice called behind him and he glanced over his shoulder to see Lia rushing towards him.

"Hey Lia," he gestured to the empty spot at his table and she quickly sat down and pulled the chair closer to his.

"You're not drunk yet are you?" she eyed off the drink in his hands.

"No this is my first," he rolled his eyes seeing Lia in her doctor mode, "look Lia, this is my first real drink in weeks cut me some slack would you," he spoke before taking a huge drink just to prove his point. He was entitled to have a few drinks after everything that had happened to him.

"Idiot I don't care about that right now, but right now we need to talk and I cannot have a serious conversation with you if you are plastered." She pulled the drink away from his hands and moved it out of his reach, "you're going to need the rest of this when I finish what I have to say." She paused taking a deep breath.

"Lia what's going on?" he immediately forgot about his drink and was more concerned about the slightly agitated woman in front of him.

"Five weeks ago I told you that your chances of walking again were no more than eight percent right?" she spoke and he nodded, "I got in contact with a few of my friends back in the day and a friend of a friend who is – anyway – the thing is Thatch, I think I know someone who can give you a forty percent chance to walk again." She rushed out quickly and stared at him.

"What?" he tried to form the many words that were rolling around in his mind right now but that was the only thing his mouth could process.

"He's a renowned doctor for treating those with impossible odds, he works purely for the marines but I have a friend who is a part of the candidate program and he owes me several favours and I just finished speaking with him. I can get you one of those spots Thatch." She reached across the table and clasped both her hands over his. "This is your best chance." She whispered almost pleadingly for him to accept.

"How long?" he whispered not really sure what he was asking or what he really just heard.

"It depends, it can take upwards of a year or two. But that doesn't matter Thatch, this is your life we're talking about." She spoke quickly.

"No," he answered taking his hands back from hers and grabbed his glass of beer.

"Thatch please this-"

"No Lia, that's too long. I'm not leaving my family for that long." He cut her off and he took a large drink of his rum, needing at least another five to follow after hearing what he was told.

"You mean you can't leave Octavia for that long," she says with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean. I will not leave her or the other brats for that long." He placed his empty glass on the table and pushed his chair backwards. He was officially ending the conversation.

"Dammit Thatch," she called out as he rolled himself back to the bar. She held herself back desperately wanting to go over there and knock some sense into the man. She had another plan to get what that man needed more than anything. She knew what was best for him even if he was in complete denial. At first she wanted to celebrate her news to everyone but thought against it knowing that it was a personal decision. But she never actually considered that he would say no to such a chance, she shouldn't have been surprised though. Octavia was his life. Leaving her was not an option for him. He would rather stay paralysed than leave her side.

A small plan formed in her mind and she quickly pushed out of her chair and went out in search for the four brats.

* * *

_**"Taking time to do nothing, often brings everything into prospective"** _

* * *

**Well there it is, a bit more of a hint of the wolfpack and their sillyness :D **

**A few more chapters and then the end of this story. I promise for a sequel but give me a few weeks to get in front by a few chapters :p **

**The next few chapters will be a sort of wrap up with each parings or guardians - wolf if you will. Before there is a time skip to when Luffy leaves at 17 *thanks for the correction last week :p**

**Naww sad to be thinking of how to wrap this little one up, but it must be done. Cannot let it run forever and they must grow older and hotter hahaha Plus I must have the Strawhats in this and I must bring in a few more crowd favourites. cough *law* xx**

**Anyways, MASSSIVE thanks to: SuperMeg12, GlassGazer, Guest, AnimeFan, Crazed AJ, Rinslayer, Lilnightmare, guest2, guest3, Allycat, Guest 4 and Yayoi Tsukikage :D**

**Loving you all. **


	33. Chapter 33 - The End of an era

_**Wow, okay, so much love over the last week. I do apologise for the 2 day wait, but you know it's Christmas and I wanted to make this one longer for... braces... being the last one. :'( **_

_**NOTE - Woops forgot my starting quote - and line breaks **_

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_**"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."**_

* * *

"Why does this always happen to us?" Sabo shouted as they ran through the streets. He had managed to steal three more coats and covered up his brother's identities as they ran through the streets.

"There wasn't meant to be any marines here!" Ace shouted tugging on Luffy's arm as they ran away. He didn't enjoy the feeling of running away, but the threat of Marco's punishment was greater than the urge to fight back. The marines had received a report of four kids stealing from the shopping district, so now they were wanted by this small band of marine officers. Nothing they couldn't handle.

But they couldn't handle Marco. Not yet anyways.

"Left!" Flick called out as Ghost ran ahead of her and turned sharply, they dodged into and alley way. "We need to get back into the forest." She panted as the luscious green trees came into view. Why they thought it would be safe to return into the village was beyond her. People just don't forget about things being stolen from their stores. It was all because of Luffy's growling stomach that cause them to throw away all common sense.

"Into the trees." Sabo yelled and they each scrambled into the thick forest trees and out of site. He could heard the eight marine officers chasing them still as they entered the forest. Ghost ran below them faster than any of them could keep up with.

"They're in the trees." One shouted causing him to curse under his breath. They weren't their typical stupid marines. He looked over to his still covered siblings and started jumping from branch to branch making their way deeper into the jungle.

"It's just like back at home." Luffy grinned enjoying the feeling of bouncing from spot to spot. He seemed to be the only one enjoying the sudden chase.

"Can't we just knock them out?" Flick asked looking back at their hunters. "They don't look like much," she looked to Ace for back up.

"No powers?" Ace responded looking to Sabo.

"We're in deep shit anyways." Sabo sighed throwing away his last sense of self preservation.

He was about to call out a plan of attack when a large snarl was heard just below them. He stopped on his tree and looked down at the lake they had found. But it wasn't the large blue lake that caught his attention is was the large crocodiles that had sensed them.

"At-attack," a marine stuttered seeing the oversized crocodile turn onto them.

"Where's Ghost?" she gasped looking around for her grey friend.

"There under the bushes." Sabo pointed out seeing their wolf hiding in waiting as they watched the giant reptile appear.

"Should we help them?" Octavia asked seeing the frightened men almost too terrified to move.

"Let's just see what they do," Ace spoke landing on the same branch as her. They watched as the bullets bounced of the thickened green scales of the beast.

"They're crocodile food." Luffy frowned. He had seen big beasts like this one before back home, but he never acted like those marines. He knew to be quick and to try and get under its head. That's what Ace and Sabo always told him, getting under a large beast like that was the only way to defeat it.

"Sabo?" Luffy whispered seeing a few marines getting launched into a tree and then tore through the next three behind it by the crocodile's tail. They were going to lose.

"Plan C. Luffy you're bait. Flick provide cover. Keep your hoods up and no powers." Sabo commanded, "Flick the dagger?" she quickly pulled the new dagger from the inside of her coat and handed it to him. He thanked her and with that they each dropped from the trees and landed in unison on the forest floor. She could feel her coat ripple in the air around her as she flew through the air. Her hood stayed firmly on her head as she landed.

"Kids stay back!" A marine shouted staring in shock as the four kids jumped down into the battle.

"Hey you big piece of meat, come and get me." Luffy shouted, ignoring the marine as he landed right in front of the beast. With a deep breath in, he pushed at the air into his fist and grew it larger by the second. The croc turned from the cowering marines and to him. At the final second he let go of his fist and sent it flying onto the beast's snout.

"No powers," Flick moved to stand beside him in a crouch and wrapped her arm around his waist. Ghost appeared in front of her and crouched down in a defensive position. His growl had turned into something fierce as he bared his canines at the reptile. She jumped back adding a little air boost her speed

"No powers," he giggled and she smirked. She watched as Ace and Sabo began to make their ways into opposite trees reading for her to lead the beast right below them.

"Come and get us you big handbag!" she shouted as the green beast stalked her and Luffy. The three of them darted across the first floor both dodging the strong claws of the croc as it swiped for them. She pushed and pulled against her brother in unison as they worked the beast closer and closer to the mark. Ghost sprinted across the ground and would bite at the crocodiles heals if he got too close to them.

She could see the marines standing back each holding their injuries from the croc.

"Almost there," she panted and launched herself in the air to dodge a swing of its mighty tail. Luffy was flipping over and over against missing every snap of its strong jaw and glistening teeth.

"Now!" she called and she grabbed her brothers awaiting hand and jumped back out of the way as Ace and Sabo jumped from the trees. Ghost ran to her side and guarded her front.

Ace waited for the very second the beast was under him. He could feel his hand coat with heat but not with his flames yet. He had to push the fire aside and just let the heat boil along his skin. He couldn't show these marines he had flashy powers. He could see Sabo gripping the dagger Luffy had acquired.

He gave his brother a ready nod as the beast was below them. They watched and waited for the signal. They both jumped off their branch in time as landed on the unsuspecting beasts head. He drove his heated fist into its head while Sabo plunged the dagger into its eye. Straight into the brain.

Instant kill.

They had killed a number of large prey back home for their dinners, and every time Sabo would announce the most humane way to kill a beast for food. And then the other times when they were testing their strength against the kings of the forest they would toy with them. But this time was not a game, or for testing their strengths it was for survival.

The crocodile let out a grunt and collapsed underneath them.

"We did it!" Luffy cheered from up in the trees. Flick was sitting on the branch next to him swinging her legs back and forth.

"Reveal yourselves." A single brave marine walked hesitantly towards the four of them with his rifle pointing at them. They could all see his hands shaking as he pointed the weapon at them, he didn't look as though he had ever held a weapon in his life let alone shot one. Ghost growled menacingly as he stalked from his spoke and out into the open.

"Good boy," Octavia whispered as she looked down at her friend. She glanced back at the marines and could see them even more afraid of her wolf than of the crocodile. They definitely were not having a good day.

"Piss off marine. You'd be dead without us." Ace snarled not even slightly threatened by the gun. He knew that the standard bullet wouldn't work on him, and also that his sister would never let a bullet graze either of them.

"Who are you?" a second marine appeared and forced the first to lower the rifle to the ground. "You wear the Whitebeard insignia, I noticed it when you were attacking." He pointed out the marks that were now hidden beneath the cloaks. Each of them cursed under their breaths for forgetting.

"We're the Whitebeard Wolfpack. Now leave." Ace smirked feeling the spike in fear as he announced who they were. The eight men all but fell over their own feet as they ran away from them. He like to think it was from the sights of them, and not the mentioning of their father's name.

* * *

The walk back to ship was taking a lot longer than what it did to get into town, it may have been because they were avoiding the village and the prying eyes at all costs. Octavia tried to hide the grin on her face beneath her newly proclaimed coat. The hood was pulled up concealing her face and hair from everyone's view, it was perfect for her. Now she wouldn't need to wear those long disgusting coats that Izo put her in to conceal every fragment of herself, at least now she would still be able to defend and attack.

She had already been told off by her two older brothers to wipe her smile off her face, but she couldn't help it. The outfit was exactly how she envisioned it to be. Now all she had to do was convince Izo to make her multiply copies of it so she would never be without it and she wondered if her favourite designer would allow her to put Whitebeard's mark on the back of it.

Sabo shook his head to himself, with everything that happened today he was sure that none of the guardians – especially Marco- was going to let them off the island for more than a second alone again. He jumped a little on his spot and adjusted the weight of the cargo that was resting on his shoulder. He looked forward and saw Ace do the same as they carried the overly large sized crocodile back to the ship.

He had to admit that he was impressed at how far they had come from being back at Dawn Island, sure they had managed to take down some of the islands largest preys in the past, but this time their teamwork was flawless. The crocodile didn't stand a chance against them now. Even Luffy was landing every blow against the green beast, he could just imagine what Luffy would be like against the largest of crocodiles on his own.

"Do you think Lyon will let us have crocodile meat for every meal?" Luffy asking, sitting onto of the large beast. His hand was on his hat and was trying to contain his smile.

"Maybe, we did kill it ourselves." Ace grinned up at him while adjusting the head of the croc on his shoulder. Luffy had tried to help carry the crocodile, but it seemed that he and Ace were the ones to have the latest growth spurts and all Luffy could touch was the dangling tail at the end. With a quick look to Octavia, he was flickered up onto the green belly of the beast and told to sit there where they could all see him. Heavens know that he had caused them enough trouble in one day.

"Can you make crocodile cupcakes?" Luffy asked to Flick.

"I don't know if they would taste any good Lu," she laughed, just imagining the meaty baked goods, "but I can try for you." She ran through a bunch of ideas of a savoury type of muffin she could make. Luffy wouldn't know the difference so long as it was in a cupcake shape – that's all her younger brother needed to see.

"Maybe you could learn to make the cupcakes too, Luffy?" Sabo questioned, "It would be useful for when you set sail on your own." He prodded, trying to get Luffy to want to learn something new. Something that may help him survive in a few years' time.

"No that's okay," Luffy grinned his famous smile down at him, "I'm going to get the greatest chef in the whole wide world. And then -" Luffy paused and the four of them stopped to look up at the stumped boy.

"And then what Luffy?" Sabo asked.

"I'm trying to decide." He answered.

"Decide what?" Ace prodded and tugged on their meal getting the train to move again.

"Whether I want a boy or a girl chef. I already decided on a girl to be my navigator. So should I have a boy be the greatest chef in the whole wide world?" Luffy asked seriously.

"Luffy," Octavia laughed and shook her head to her brother, "how about you decide on the gender of the person when you meet someone you really like. I'm sure you will figure it out later on." She tried to keep her laugh to herself.

"Okay." Luffy nodded his head in agreement.

"We're dead." Ace broke the fun moment as he pointed in the sky where a large fired up guardian was flying directly towards them.

"Fuck," Sabo cursed and they dropped the crocodile and stepped to flank each other. They would present a strong front, and hopefully keep Luffy behind them and away from spilling the beans on what really happened that day. Everybody knows that Luffy couldn't lie to save his life and right now that was exactly what was on the line.

"Hey Marco," Octavia waved as Marco landed back in his human form in front of them. She pulled the hood down off her head and smile at her guardian. In her mind she was repeating over and over again to keep calm, to try and act as normal as possible.

Marco looked at each of them and then over to the large dead crocodile behind the three brats.

"Hi Marco." Luffy waved from atop of his perch.

"Hello Luffy," Marco replied still eyeing them off suspiciously, "what have you lot been up to?"

"We ate at this really yummy restaurant and then Ace scared off a boy who was staring at Flick-"

"He deserved it." Ace interrupted earning a smirk from his guardian.

"And then we found a weapons store – you should have seen how big it was, they have absolutely everything and-"

Luffy's story telling was cut off by a large scream.

Octavia screamed loudly and started to frantically brush at her cloak. Her body twisting in every way trying to brush off the ghost spider. Ghost was standing beside her and nudged his large nose at different parts of her coat.

"What's wrong?" Marco was by her side instantly at the sound of her scream.

"Get it off – get it off!" she screamed again as Luffy was about to start talking again.

"You're such a girl." Ace quickly added, seeing through his sister's genius plan.

"Shut up," she wailed and looked up at her guardian who was trying hard not to laugh at her antics. "Is it off?" she whispered and Marco quickly looked over her and nodded.

"You got it," he ruffled her hair and she sighed dramatically.

"I am not spending one more second in this damned spider infested forest." She spoke and quickly turned and headed towards the ship.

"You're such a baby." Ace taunted her.

"I'm not a baby, I just don't like spiders. They're big, hairy and poisonous." She stomped through the forest floor. "Luffy, come protect me." She flickered her brother to her side and gripped his hand. "You won't let the spiders eat me will you?" she asked her brother, praying that he would take the bait and not question her. He stared at her suspiciously – it was only two days ago that she caught the spider that was in her room and released it into the storage room where it could live in peace.

"Pirate captains would never let their nakama feel scared of spiders," Sabo added the icing to the cake. With a triumphant nod Luffy gripped her hand tighter and tugged her towards the ship.

"No spiders are going to touch you while I'm around." Luffy's eyes searched the bushes and trees as they past making sure that no spiders would jump out of thin air and attack them. She sighed and felt her heart rate slow down back to a somewhat normal state. "Come on Ghost we can protect her together." Luffy placed himself beside his sister whilst Ghost took her other side.

The threat of having Marco train them as a punishment was something that no one ever wanted to experience, not again anyways. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Marco helping haul the giant beast along with Ace and Sabo. For one thing she was thrilled to know that her brothers caught onto her little act quick enough to help, now all they had to do was keep Luffy from telling their story of the day until he forgot about it and found something more interesting to talk about to the entire crew.

"Thank god," she whispered under her breath as the Moby Dick came into view.

"See not a single spider," Luffy looked up at her and she smiled at him. A small pang of guilt flushed in her stomach as he regretted using her brother's adolescent mind to their advantage. But then she remembered who put them in this position and her conscience was clear.

"Whoa what have you guys been up too?" Izo was leaning over the railing and looking down at them as they walked up the pier and up the ramp into the ship.

"We caught dinner!" Luffy grinned happily and let go of her hand and sprung up onto the deck "Lyon meat!"

"Wait until dinner," Octavia sighed feeling the events of the day start to catch up to her.

"Welcome back brats. How was your day?" Whitebeard spoke up as they all made their way onto the deck where majority of the commanders had gathered. They were all drinking from the newly restocked sake barrels. Ghost came running in and took his spot next to the large captain who scratched the back of his head.

"We had so much fun. Ace scared some boy who was looking at Flick too long. Then we went shopping and I brought Flick a new coat and dagger. Then we were chased by these marines and they were attacked by the crocodile but we jumped in and saved them and killed the crocodile so now we can have meat for dinner," Luffy announced and rounded to Whitebeard, "you were right there were crocodiles on the island."

There was an eerie silence on the deck as each of the guardians slowly looked from Luffy and then to each of them.

Ace groaned and resisted the urge to slap his own forehead. After everything they had done to try and stop Luffy from spilling the beans to Marco, he had just gone and told every single person what they had done. Well, what he had done.

"You brought Octavia new clothes and a weapon?" Marco stepped forwards and they slowly made their way to stand next to each other. "You were chased by marines," Marco stepped closer.

"Yep," Luffy grinned, not sensing the change in the atmosphere at all.

"Now, tell me how you four paid for food, clothes and a weapon?" Marco asked directly to the three eldest.

"Well you see-" Ace started.

"There was this huge sale-" Sabo added.

"Practically giving it away-"Octavia mumbled.

"I took it." Luffy grinned.

"God dammit Luffy," Ace threw his fist at his brother's head.

"Ace that hurt." Luffy threw his hands to his head and rubbed at the spot his brother hit. It didn't hurt too much but he didn't like it either.

"You stole it." Marco summarised.

"We didn't steal it," Luffy looked up at Marco with a confused face, "I'm paying it with the pirate treasure I'll have when I'm the King of the Pirates." He explained.

There was a silence that seemed to echo around them all with only the loud boisterous laugh of the large man staring at them. They each looked at each other nervously and then to the first commander glaring down at them.

"Run." Ace spat and instantly they scattered into different directions.

"Cheeky brats." Whitebeard laughed loudly as the guardians all stepped to the sidelines and watched Marco round up the four brats.

* * *

Sabo groaned as he fell backwards onto his bed letting his legs hang off the side of the mattress as every single muscle in his body ached. He urged himself to shuffle further onto the bed so his full body could relax under the soft mattress but he couldn't will himself to move even a finger.

He had thought that Namur's training was rough. But after experiencing the wrath of Marco there was simply no comparison. It seemed that Marco was determined to make sure that none of them would be able to move a single muscle or even groan under the punishment they had been forced into.

All the while the four guardians sat on the edge of the room and merely shouted out the next set of exercises or strengthening moves to do over and over again. They got a great deal of enjoyment out of their exhaustion.

"Why do my fingers hurt?" he turned his head with a struggle and glanced at Ace who hadn't even made it to his bed. He sat slumped against the first wall of their room with his elbows handing over his knees and with his head bowed forwards. He could see the sweat rolling off his face and onto the floor.

"I think they purposely gave us that freedom knowing we would screw it up." Flick laughed from her own bed, "it was almost as if they planned this punishment long ago." She groaned and rolled onto her side to face her brothers. Luffy was lying flat on his back just inside the door of their room - where Ace had merely dropped him when they were released from their punishment – there were little snot bubbles growing and shrinking every time he snored.

"Bastards." Ace panted, lifting his head and let his rest against the back wall. "We almost got away from him this time though," he grinned now looking at his siblings.

"That's true," Sabo pushed himself against his headboard so he could properly see them, "we outlasted him for at least two hours this time. We're getting stronger." He grinned, realising that the punishment training was in fact a great way to test their skills again.

"Finally," Octavia laughed, liking the feeling that they were actually getting stronger. It felt like forever since she had something good happen to them. Just knowing that they were in fact getting stronger and that all the hours and hours of training they were putting themselves through were starting to pay off.

"Lia?" Octavia called out as the light in their room was suddenly turned on and their favourite doctor snuck into their room and closed the door behind her. She glanced out the small window they had and could see the dark skies outside, it was the middle of the night.

"What's wrong?" Sabo sat up alarmed at Lia's sudden appearance.

"Nothing, don't panic. No one is hurt and were not under attack." She rushed out quickly erasing the spike of fear in the room.

"What's going on?" Luffy sat up from his bed and rubbed his tired eyes.

"I needed to talk to the four of you in private." Lia explained and sat down at the end of Octavia's bed, "god knows Thatch hasn't left my side the entire day." She mumbled under her breath but they each heard what she had said.

"What does Thatch not want you to tell us?" Sabo asked already catching on to what Lia was doing here. She had to tell them something that the guardians – or at least Thatch – didn't want them to know.

"You really are the smart one aren't you," Lia laughed, "but yes, there is something that I need to talk with the four of you about that the commanders would rather me not." She took in a deep breath and the four of them stayed silent and waited for her to speak again. "If Thatch continues to stay under my care and does everything that I tell him to do, he may have an eight percent chance to walk again," she said, "But, I have a connection to a man who can make that miniscule chance into a very good chance."

"How much?" Sabo asked.

"Upwards of forty percent, more if he were to have another surgery. And that's with only an over letter evaluation, it quite possible may be higher when the doctor actually assesses Thatch and his condition." She spoke looking straight to Flick.

"He would have to leave right? This is something that doesn't happen in a few days or weeks." Octavia whispered, already catching on to why everyone was so against them hearing this conversation. "Thatch refused." She didn't question Lia – she already knew the answer.

"Yes, Thatch refused to leave the four of you. Refused to leave you Octavia." Lia spoke to her, but not at all accusing her.

"Idiot." Octavia sighed and looked down at her hands as they clenched around her blanket. He was refusing the chance to walk again to make sure she didn't go through those same withdrawals that she had the last time he left. But this time was different. She was getting stronger now, both mind and body.

"What do you suppose we do?" Ace spoke for the first time, "I doubt he's just going to go because we tell him too. He's stubborn."

"No, he won't go," Octavia voiced, "not without me."

"You're going to go too?" Luffy whispered from his spot. She glanced up at her youngest brother who was almost pleading to her.

"I'll leave you guys to talk. Do not – and I truly mean it – under think this." She stood from the bed and headed to the door. "Whatever decisions you each make, you will have to live with them."

"How long do we have?" Ace asked, needing to know what time frame they were up against.

"A few days at the most. The window is small, my contact has only a few months at time for vacation or in-between patients to revisit his home island. We are three weeks from the island now, the longer we leave it the longer it will be to correct the course." She answered, "This is a onetime deal – if we refuse now - we may never get these odds ever again." She gave them once final reassuring smile before leaving them to their thoughts.

Octavia sighed and fell back against her pillows. "Well, what do we do now?" she laughed looking up at the roof of her room. She heard the sounds of her brothers all moving and then she felt her bed dip and her small bed now became smaller. Ace moved in behind her and she leant up against his chest as Luffy crawled into her lap. Sabo sat up and grabbed her hand and began to stroke his thumb against the back of her hand.

"Talk about dropping a bombshell," Sabo laughed awkwardly.

"I don't even know where to begin," Ace spoke clearly in a state of shock. They never thought that they may be split up so soon. Yes, they all knew that Luffy would be leaving in a few years' time, but that was years away.

"What do I do?" she whispered to her brothers, they had always been her voice of reason.

"We can't decide this time Flick," Sabo squeezed her hand, "but we will be right behind you no matter what your decision is."

"If I go, you're not coming with me." She spoke firmly.

"We got where you go," Luffy spoke firmly almost startling her.

"Not this time Lu," she ran her fingers through his hair but he shrugged her hand away.

"No, we're family. We stick together – always." He spoke looking directly at her.

"Luffy," Ace sighed.

"No Ace, we're her brothers we're meant to stay together. We promised remember." Luffy pushed off of her and stood up facing all of them.

"Luffy this is different, this isn't going to be forever." Sabo yanked at his hand and pulled him back down onto them.

"This is for Thatch, don't you want him to walk again, to fight again?" Ace asked and Luffy seemed to sober up a bit.

"Yes," he whispered in defeat, "but why can't the doctor just come here?"

"It doesn't work that way Lu," Octavia ran her fingers through his hair and pressed a kiss onto his forehead.

"I don't want you to go. But I want Thatch to walk again." Luffy summarised and she smiled.

"I want the same thing as you, but this is the only way he will leave. This is his only chance." She spoke. It seemed that the little conversation had swayed her mind. There really was no questioning it, she would do anything for Thatch as he would do anything for her. If it meant leaving her brothers and the rest of her family for a few months, or even a year, then so be it. Family meant sacrifice.

"Fine but-" Luffy tilted his head back to looked at her, "you have to promise to spend the same amount of time you'll be away with Thatch, as a part of my crew."

"What?" she laughed.

"Promise me you'll be in my crew, for a little bit." Luffy bargained with her which shocked everyone.

"Luffy-"

"Promise," Luffy turned around and held out his pinkie finger to her. "You told me that a pinkie promise can never be broken."

She looked at her brothers who seemed to be in more shock by Luffy's strategy to have her on his crew than the initial shock of her potentially leaving them.

"Alright then, I will spend the same amount of time with you as I do away with Thatch." She took his pinkie finger in hers and gave it a squeeze.

"There," she pressed a kiss into their joining fingers, "now it can truly never be broken." She smiled finally seeing her brother smile back at her.

"So you're really going to go?" Ace whispered from behind her and she felt his arms grow tighter around her stomach. Sighing she tugged on her brothers until they were all huddled together in an awkward mash up of arms, legs and blankets.

"He'd do it for any one of us." She spoke and he nodded. It was without saying, any of their guardians would do anything for them and it was now apparent that the same goes for them. They were family – no – they were stronger than family.

"Will you be okay?" he asked.

"I'll be fine." She didn't want to start thinking about the issue of leaving her brothers just yet. She only had just decided that she would leave she didn't want to think about coping without them just yet.

"Good thing Marco can fly huh," Sabo joked from beside her. "He can always come kidnap you when we miss you."

"Yes, he can." She laughed and snuggled in closer to her brothers. She wanted to savour every second with them while she could.

"G'nite," Luffy mumbled pulling the blanket over the top of the four of them.

"Night Lu," she said pulling him closer into her chest.

"That's captain."

"Dammit," she sighed as her two older brothers laughed at her.

* * *

"Papa," she knocked on the large door to his room. It was just passed sunrise and she barely slept a wink that night. Her mind was racing with a thousand different thoughts and she needed to talk with someone. Normally she would run straight to Thatch, but he was the person in question that was on her mind.

"Octavia my dear," she opened the door wider and saw her father sitting up in his bed on the corner of the room, "is everything alright?" he patted the spot on his bed and she flickered to him. She nodded her head, answering his question but didn't speak just yet. She snuggled up his broad chest and placed her cheek on his bare chest. His arms wrapped around her and she felt at ease.

"What is worrying you my daughter," he finally asked her as the silence was growing long.

"I've decided to leave with Thatch so he can get better." She answered, getting straight to the point.

"That cheeky brat," her father laughed and he pulled her tighter to him. "Lia has spoken to you about her friend." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, and Thatch won't leave because of me. So if I go with him, then he has no excuse to refuse the treatment and he has a better chance at getting better and walking again." She explained.

"That is true," he spoke as his fingers started to thread in her hair, "but this doctor Lia knows – did she tell you he works for the marines?" he asked and she gasped and looked up at him. "He is hired to cure the impossible cases for marine soldiers only. It would be extremely dangerous for you to go with him. But-" he held up his hand to silence her. "– Thatch will need to be disguised as well as anyone who was to go with him."

"Who would be going with him?" she asked already knowing that just she would not be an appropriate type of protector if their identities were ever revealed.

"Whoever volunteers, I cannot order anyone to leave for such a long time. I do believe that Lyon is trying his hardest at convincing Thatch to go. I suspect he would be the first one to volunteer." He answered.

"Papa," she whispered and tilted her head back to look at her father, "I need to do this for him."

"Alright," her father looked down at her for a very long time before he spoke, "but you will be tested first on your strength. If the commanders all agree that you can protect yourself in a decent fight then you have my blessings to go."

"Thank you Papa, I won't disappoint you." She grinned up at her father and threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You never could my dear," he laughed.

* * *

"Namur?" Sabo knocked on his guardian's door. He heard a quick acceptance and he pushed open the door. Namur was sitting at his desk with several familiar navigation books on his side and sea charts surrounding him. His room looked more and more like the navigation room every time he entered.

"Can we talk?" Sabo asked and Namur gestured to the stool that was placed in his room specifically for times like this. Sabo was the only one who ever sought out his advice or ear to listen to, so when this became a frequent visit he placed a wooden stool in the corner of his room for when his brat came to visit.

"You know don't you," Namur sighed, already predicting this conversation would be happening sooner or later.

"Yes, Lia spoke to us last night. So it's true then?" he asked for clarification.

"It's true. This man – doctor – is meant to be able to perform miracles. It would be a great opportunity for him to go through with it." Namur sighed rubbing the back of his neck. It had been a constant conversation amongst the commanders.

"What would you do?" Sabo asked him. "If it was you instead of Thatch?"

"To leave or not to leave huh?" Namur looked at his charge. The young blonde boy who had first arrived on their ship had change dramatically into the boy that sat before him. This was the now young man he shaping to help wreak havoc on the unsuspecting world. This was the young man who he taught everything he knew too.

"I'm not sure kid. You four make quite the impression on us oldies." He laughed.

"Octavia's decided to go with him." He rushed out quickly wanting to get to the main issue that plagued his mind. "So now Thatch has no excuses to not go. But, this could take months, years even. I've read though enough of Lia's books to know that recovery and therapy take a long time – take a look at us, we're kids, our bodies are known to recover quicker than adults so how long will it take for Thatch to walk again, years?" he panted feeling his anxiety creep up. "I'll support her decision, I will, but I'm worried. What if something happens and we're not there." He admitted he true fear. After everything they had been through that was without a doubt his greatest fear. Not being there when someone he loves needs him.

"She won't be alone. If she does end up going, Pops will send someone with them who will be more than capable of handling whatever might come their way. And your sister is not defenceless, she is mighty strong. Besides, we would never be too far away, they would be able to hold off until we got back to them." Namur ruffled his hair and he felt a little better.

"I know she's strong. But mentally…" he paused not really needing to explain his thoughts further. It hadn't been long since she had her last breakdown and things were starting to look better with them all sticking together.

"When she leaves, maybe you can think of something that you could give her when she does feel anxious or troubled. You're a smart boy, think of something that could help her during those down times." Namur clapped his webbed hand over his shoulder and suddenly inspiration hit him.

"I've got an idea." He claimed before pouncing off his chair and rushing to find his brothers. "Thanks Namur," he grinned before disappearing out of the room.

* * *

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Thatch shouted as he wheeled himself into the galley. He was not a stupid man by any accounts and he knew exactly who was to blame for all of the current activity around the ship. He could hear the whispers around the ship about the sudden change of course, he could hear the small mentions of a small vessel being prepared to disembark in a few weeks' time. Talk of supply's being gathered together for three.

He thought he had made his opinion clear to everyone who tried to convince him otherwise. He was not leaving the ship, he was not leaving his home to have some whack job marine doctor cut him open. He was not going to leave his family, leave his brats for the smallest chance that he may walk again.

There were more important things in his life than walking. He could still fight, she could still defend his ship and his nakama. But what was worse was the whispers of one of the brats leaving the ship. He knew exactly who was leaving the ship on this supposed journey and there was no way in all the seas that he was going to let his brat leave the protection of his Pops.

"Thatch," Lia spoke standing up from her chair. Every guardian was in the room along with his Pops, and the four brats.

"Thatch calm down," Marco stood up and made his way over to him.

"You calm the fuck down. I gave you my answer Lia. I told you not to meddle with this, but you went ahead anyway and told them," he shouted, "who the fuck gave you the right to make decisions about my life."

"Thatch." A small voice broke him from his burst of anger as he looked at Octavia as she appeared on top of Pop's shoulder. "I'm going with you to that island and you will receive this doctor's treatment."

"Octavia this is not your choice. You do not understand what you-"

"I do understand." She interrupted him, "I understand more than anyone here. To be crippled in some way because of someone else. I was blinded for so long, but you all opened my eyes, you made me better. No it's my turn to make you better. So we are going to that island, you, Lyon and I are going to that island and you will get better." She flickered from her spot and appeared directly in front of him.

"Now do you understand me Thatch." She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at her guardian, almost daring him to counter her.

"Octavia please-"

"No. We're doing this. You can either come willingly or I can flicker you wherever I want." She walked closer to him and he pulled her onto his lap. "Please let me do this, please let me help you." She whispered to him only as he wrapped his arms around her.

"It will take a long time Turtle, I could never ask you to sacrifice so much for me." He whispered and buried his face into her hair as she clung to him.

"You're not asking." She heard the man laugh and she felt a warm feeling rush through her chest. In that small moment she knew that everything was going to be alright. They would make sure that they were going to be okay.

* * *

"This is it." She spoke looking back at her family as they all gathered up on deck. The small boat was ready to set sail to the island in the short distance.

"Take care of them Flick," Marco leant down and pressed a kiss into her forehead. "God knows you're the smart one amongst them."

"Promise, take care of my brothers. Same reasoning," she laughed, hearing a shout from her brothers.

She stepped from her guardian and moved along to the next. That morning she had woken up with her brothers all crowded in the same bed as her. They were mashed together of arms and legs and none of them wanted to move. They had stayed up most of the night just talking about the future plans they had together.

At midnight, Ace produced a small bottle of stolen sake and poured a generous amount into a cup and took a drink out of it. They each took their turn and spoke a few words much like they had done when they first declared themselves family.

"Flick," her mind snapped back and she saw that the rest of the crew had left them to say a few smaller goodbyes and she was crowded by her brothers.

"This is for you," Sabo stepped forwards and held out a large box to her, "open it when you're feeling sad or when you really need it." He passed the box to Lyon who was passing things over to the boat they would be leaving in.

"Thank you," she wrapped her arms around her brother and he clung to her.

"You can open these ones when you get settled into your new room." Ace handed over another box and she smiled at him, gesturing him to join their huddle.

"Don't forget your promise. You'll join me when I start my own adventure." Luffy jumped into the centre of the three of them.

"Promise Lu," she pressed a kiss onto his forehead and hugged her brothers tighter. She tried to control the tears as they threatened to spill. She would miss them like crazy.

"Don't stop training." Ace whispered to her and she nodded. She would never stop trying to get stronger.

"Same to you guys," she laughed feeling each of them nod against a part of her.

"I love you," she whispered to each of them.

"Love you too," they each spoke back to her.

She was quickly pulled back as she heard a growl.

"Ghost?" she questioned as he pulled her away from her brothers. He growled at her as he still somewhat towered over her. His strong nose nudged against her again and again. Her hands moved to his head as she pet his fur. She was going to miss him she whispered her words to him and hugged her arms around his neck.

He growled again causing her to look back at his eyes.

"You can't be serious." She spoke to her wolf, almost reading his thoughts. He barked and licked at her face. "You want to come too?" she asked almost needing to see some kind of response. He barked and licked her again.

"He will be there to protect you," her father stepped up behind her and pet Ghost on the head. "He has been well trained over these years. He will be the perfect guard and friend." He complimented her wolf.

"He already is," she laughed and looked up at her father. She flickered onto his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Stay safe my daughter," he whispered to her and she nodded.

"Thank you Papa," she felt him kiss her forehead as he whispered to her.

"Princess, it's time to go." Lyon appeared behind her and held out his hand to her. She knew it was way past the time for her to leave.

"Bye everyone, I love you all." She shouted looking at her guardian and to her brothers.

This was it.

She didn't know how long she was going to be gone for. But when she came back everything was going to be different. She was going to be older and stronger. She would spend this time away getting stronger with her guardian. For the first time, Thatch would be using her muscles for a little while.

* * *

_**"We are each on our own journey. Each of us is on our very own adventure; encountering all kinds of challenges, and the choices we make on that adventure will shape us as we go; these choices will stretch us, test us and push us to our limit; and our adventure will make us stronger than we ever know we could be."**_

* * *

_**So that was it. **_

_**I will be adding in 4 sort of chapter / 1 shots - that will be of each of the Wolfpack and their adventures through this time skip. I have 80% decided what to do with each of them and where they will go in the future... :D**_

_**There will not be an update before the new year as I would like the time to set out the path I'll be taking the next installment. But do not fear, I will not take too long. I promise. :D **_

_**HUGE Thank you to my lovelies. **_

_**Sarene Mun, Guest, Supermeg12, Yayoi Tsukikage, Crazed Aj, AnimeFan972, Lilnightemare 17, Goldspark, Raven Running, Cereza101, Glazz Gazer [Massive help with - well everything.] And to my somewhat anonymous reviewer who bombarded my inbox with love - Love you Pipedream? Baloogablue.. Are the you the same person If so thanks :D **_

_**Love you all! **_

_**p.s Get the little remark from Sabo and big crocodile ;) tehhehe couldn't help it. **_

_**P.s.s - I will post the extra Chapters in this story - and when the new stories starts - But like me as an author if all else fails xx**_


	34. Chapter 34

Hey everyone.

Sorry for the false update. But i had to write soething.

So my laptop was stolen. I am writting this to you on my phone.

Ive lost pretty much 10chap worth of writting and another story i had drafted.

Going to be a good month before i can get a new one and then begin writting again.

Sorry everyone. Im just as pissed off as you can imagine :(

Thanks


	35. Part II

**Hello my lovelies!**

**Whitebeard Wolf Pack Part 2 is HERE!**

**Title : The Prophecy of the Wolf Pack!**

**Please enjoy, and sorry for the delay!**

**xx**


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